Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor

Jan 03 , 2026

Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly stood alone, pinned down by a wall of fire, fists clenched, eyes blazing with unyielding fury. Around him, chaos clawed the air in Tientsin, but he moved forward—not because he was fearless, but because he refused to let fear win. Two Medals of Honor, earned across decades and continents, tell the story. But the scars carved deep in his soul paint it clearer: a warrior’s grit fused with a soldier’s heart.

Roots of Iron and Faith

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly carried salt-of-the-earth grit bred from hard working-class stock. He enlisted in the Marines at 19, stepping off a ferried dock into a lifetime of combat and brotherhood.

“The fight’s never just outside,” Daly would later reflect, “it’s inside too—wrestling with who you are when all hell breaks loose.”

His faith? Steely and private—an undercurrent of quiet prayer amid the thunder. No flamboyant preacher, but a man who lived by a code etched in Scripture and forged on the battlefield. John 15:13 weighed heavy on him:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

For Daly, that verse was no platitude—it was a mission.

The Boxer Rebellion: Fire That Tempered Steel

China, 1900. The Boxer Rebellion boiled. Foreign legations under siege. The 1st Marine Regiment was dispatched to break the deadlock and protect civilians. Daly was already a seasoned grunt, but what unfolded in Peking carved his name into Marine lore.

During the night of July 13, Daly and his unit faced an impenetrable tide of Boxer rebels. Enemy forces swarmed in numbers, firing relentlessly, pushing Marines to the brink.

In that crucible, Daly did something untamed. Twice he charged headlong into the enemy, his rifle cracking like thunder. When ammunition ran out, he threw rocks and wielded his rifle as a club. His Medal of Honor citation states:

“Distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in battle... when the enemy was in close range of the line.”

His courage galvanized the defenders, buying critical time for reinforcements to rally. One Marine recalled years later: “Daly fought like a madman, but there was method in his madness. He carried the fight for all of us.” ¹

The Great War: Valor Boundless as the Trenches

World War I saw Daly in harsher hell—No Man’s Land littered with poison gas, barbed wire, and death’s whisper. By 1918, he had climbed to Sergeant Major, the backbone of his company.

During the Battle of Belleau Wood, Daly’s leadership turned a nightmare into a vital victory. On June 11, under heavy machine gun fire, he seized a German machine gun nest with a pistol and grenades, rallying his Marines despite wounds.

His second Medal of Honor citation reads:

“For extraordinary heroism and leadership... engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.”

In a war defined by slaughter, Daly’s courage became a beacon. One officer wrote:

“Daly is all that a Sergeant Major ought to be: fearless, relentless, and devoted beyond measure.” ²

His name resonated not just for personal valor, but for the fierce loyalty he showed his fellow Marines.

Scars Can't Hide the Spirit

Two Medals of Honor. Battles across two continents. Yet Daly did not seek glory. He sought purpose and brotherhood.

He retired in 1929 with decades of service—and the weight of memories most cannot bear. The man who once bled on China’s streets and France’s fields held fast to this truth:

“Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s what you do when fear tries to take your soul.”

His legacy endures. The Marines who followed read his story—not just as history, but as a blueprint for sacrifice. The grit he bore, etched in sweat and blood, teaches every warrior the same lesson: Keep fighting. For your brothers. For your honor. For the calling beyond the battlefield.

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly did not just survive battle—he owned it.

When the smoke clears and silence falls, his story challenges us all: What will we do when our own fight demands everything?

He answered with fearless resolve. That is his gift. That is redemption.

“I have fought in many battles. But the greatest battle… is living with honor after the guns fall silent.”

Sources

1. Marine Corps History Division, “Medal of Honor citation for Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly,” Boxer Rebellion Records 2. United States Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Recipients, World War I section