Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly, Belleau Wood Hero with Two Medals of Honor

Nov 03 , 2025

Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly, Belleau Wood Hero with Two Medals of Honor

Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly stood with a rifle in hand, flames licking the night sky behind him, a circle of snarling enemies closing fast. His men were outnumbered, worn thin, the air thick with gunpowder and sweat. Yet in that crucible, Daly’s voice cut through chaos like a battle anthem — steady, fierce, unyielding. He was the thunder in the storm.

Roots in Rough Ground

Born in Philadelphia in 1873, Daniel Daly was forged in the grit of hard streets and harder lessons. Between childhood fights and immigrant struggles, he learned early the costs of standing firm. The Marine Corps called him in 1899, offering a purpose far beyond himself. In that calling, he found a faith not dressed in sermons but in duty — a rugged, silent covenant to protect and sacrifice.

His belief wasn’t loud. It was quiet steel. He carried no delusions about glory. “Do your duty,” he said, “and leave the rest to God.” Through hardship and bloodshed, that simple code drove him. No man earned honor by chance; only through battle and broken bones.

The Boxer Rebellion: Valor Unchained

In 1900, China burned with rebellion. Foreign legations under siege, Marines tasked with breaking the deadlock. It was here that Daly etched his first legend. Amid the chaos of Peking’s streets, he led a desperate charge against the Boxers. Well behind enemy lines, surrounded, the one man holding the front — Daly’s courage bought time for the fallen to retreat.

His citation reads flatly: “For distinguished conduct in battle at Peking, China, July 13 to August 17, 1900.” But the story behind those words is anything but flat. According to eyewitness accounts, Daly single-handedly repulsed enemy assaults, rallying his men with shots fired and shouts carried over the din. A two-time Medal of Honor recipient, it was this first award recognizing a warrior who became the shield when shields broke.

The First World War: A War to End All Wars, But Not for Daly

Daly’s scars ran deep, earned not just in distant lands but in the trenches of France during The Great War. By 1918, now a Sgt. Major, he found himself at the front of the 6th Marine Regiment during the Battle of Belleau Wood. Among shell-torn trees and choking mud, axes for hands and fearsome will for armor, Daly faced perhaps his defining moment.

When one of his machine guns was silenced, and his men pinned down, Daly didn’t retreat. He grabbed a rifle and charged. Against withering fire, he shouted, “Come on, Jack!” — a battle cry heard by many, immortalized in Marine Corps lore. His assault disrupted the enemy enough to save his comrades and turn the tide in that brutal fight.

It was here the Marine Corps cemented its dark and proud mythos, with Daly as one of the brightest beacons. His second Medal of Honor described “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”

Honors Etched in Blood

Two Medals of Honor. Few have worn such a mark. Yet Daly bore them humbly, a man of few words and many deeds. “There’s no glory in medals, only in the men who watch your back,” he reportedly said, echoing a chicken-scarred warrior’s truth[^1].

His legacy was further honored by the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross — testaments not just to valor but to enduring leadership. Commanders lauded his tactical mind; comrades revered his fearless heart.

“Sgt. Maj. Daly was everything a Marine should aspire to — steadfast, brave, relentless,” wrote Maj. General George Barnett.

Lessons Carved in Lead and Faith

Daniel Daly’s story bleeds through history not merely as a chronicle of war but as a sermon on sacrifice. His life teaches that courage is not absence of fear, but the resolve to move forward in spite of it. That leadership is louder in action than words. And that the battlefield molds a man’s spirit, sometimes breaking it, sometimes reforging it.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Daly carried that verse without quoting it. His battles were sacred rites, his men his congregation. His scars were scripture writ in flesh.

Each generation of warriors bears the weight of his example. We carry his fight whenever fear beckons surrender, whenever duty demands more than comfort. Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly reminds us — valor is not born, it is earned, again and again, amidst fire and blood.

And in that unrelenting crucible lies redemption wrought not in peace but in sacrifice.

[^1]: History Division, U.S. Marine Corps: Medal of Honor Citations; “Two Medals of Honor: The Story of Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly,” Marine Corps Gazette, 1920.