Birth of Daniel J. Daly 

On November 11, 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly was born in Glen Cove, New York. Over three decades in the Marine Corps, he served in China, Haiti, and France, and became one of 19 people to receive the Medal of Honor twice.

Before enlisting, Daly sold newspapers in New York and boxed as an amateur. He joined the Marine Corps on January 10, 1899, hoping to serve in the Spanish-American War. The war ended before he completed training. Instead, he was assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and went to China in 1900, as the Boxer Rebellion threatened foreign residents and diplomatic missions in Peking.

On August 14, 1900, Daly and Captain Newt Hall went onto a section of the Tartar Wall to prepare a barricade. Hall left to bring up workers and reinforcements. Daly volunteered to stay behind. He held the position under fire until help arrived. The official Medal of Honor citation describes his actions briefly as “meritorious conduct” during the Battle of Peking. Daly received the medal in 1901.

In 1915, Daly was serving in Haiti during the US occupation. On October 22, he left Fort-Liberté with a Marine reconnaissance patrol. Two nights later, while the group crossed a river in a ravine, about 400 Haitian Cacos fighters fired on them from three sides. The Marines secured a position and held it under sustained fire through the night. At daybreak, they advanced in three squads and scattered the attackers. Daly’s Medal of Honor citation states that he fought with “exceptional gallantry against heavy odds.” The action took place on October 24, though his citation identifies him as part of the reconnaissance company that had left the fort on October 22. He received his second Medal of Honor for the Haiti campaign.

Daly later served in France during World War I as a first sergeant with the 73rd Company, 6th Marine Regiment. His service included actions near Lucy-le-Bocage and Bouresches in June 1918. On June 5, he helped extinguish a fire in an ammunition dump. Two days later, while his position was under bombardment, he visited the company’s gun crews across the front. On June 10, he attacked a German machine-gun position with grenades and his pistol, captured it, and helped bring wounded Marines to safety. These actions earned him both the Army Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross.

A famous line is often attributed to Daly at Belleau Wood: “Do you want to live forever?” Marine Corps histories caution that it is uncertain whether he said those exact words. His recorded awards recognize specific actions in June, including his attack on the machine-gun position. He also received France’s Médaille Militaire and Croix de Guerre.

Daly transferred to the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve in 1919 and worked for 17 years as a bank guard on Wall Street. He officially retired from the Marines on February 6, 1929. He died in Glendale, New York, on April 28, 1937. The Navy destroyer USS Daly was named in his honor. Former Marine Corps Commandant John A. Lejeune called him an “outstanding Marine of all time.” Major General Smedley D. Butler described him as “the fightinest Marine I ever knew.”

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