Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Joseph Daly, U.S.M.C.
(November 11, 1873 – April 27, 1937) Born on Veteran’s Day Before it was “VETERAN’S DAY.” SEMPER FI, GUNNY!
Daniel Daly did not ask his men to move. He dared them. By 1918, he was already a legend. A Marine who had earned 2 Medals of Honor before World War I. Boxer Rebellion. Haiti. He had faced death and kept walking. Then came Belleau Wood.
June 1918. France. German machine guns ripped through advancing Marines. Men dropped in waves. The wheat fields turned into kill zones. Units stalled under relentless fire. Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly stood up. Bullets snapping past him, he shouted, “Come on you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Then he charged. The Marines followed. They fought through trenches. Close quarters. Bayonets. Rifle fire. The battle lasted weeks. Casualties were heavy. But Belleau Wood became a turning point. The Marines earned a reputation that echoed for generations. Daly had already proven himself twice before. At Peking in 1900, he fought off enemy forces all night. In Haiti in 1915, he led charges under fire and helped seize a fort. Few men in U.S. history have earned 2 Medals of Honor. He could have retired a hero. He went back into the fight. He retired in 1919. He died in 1937 at 63. His grave is pictured, above.
Track record: Medal of Honor (2)
Navy Cross
Distinguished Service Cross
Citation Star
Purple Heart (2)
Médaille militaire (France)
Croix de Guerre (France)
Please tell me that These United States of America, a willfully founded Constitutional Republic, ratified in 1789, is not lost. Are you saying that all the folks written about in this column sacrificed what they did for nothing? Patton? Allen? Chesty Puller? Mitchell? WHISHEY. TANGO. FOXTROT.???, Over… What are you doing to preserve the American way of life in your community?
Three wars.
Two Medals of Honor.
One line that still echoes over battlefields.
He did not hesitate.
He attacked.
Story based on the Major’s DD-214 and historical records. This post is for educational purposes. This post is to remember our American heroes. This post is to remember WE ARE AMERICAN! All gave some, some gave all! SEMPER FI!
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