Daniel Daly | |
|---|---|
 Daly c. 1919, wearing his Medals of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross | |
| Birth name | Daniel Joseph Daly |
| Born | November 11, 1873 Glen Cove, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1937 (aged 63) New York City, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1899–1929 |
| Rank | Sergeant Major |
| Unit | |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
Daniel Joseph Daly (November 11, 1873 – April 27, 1937)[1][2] was a United States Marine and one of nineteen U.S. servicemen to have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice. Daly and Major General Smedley Butler are the only Marines who earned two Medals of Honor for two separate acts of valor.[3]
Daly is among the most decorated U.S. Marines in history, and over a thirty year career saw action in all the major Marine Corps campaigns from 1899 to the end of World War I. He earned his first Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 and the second in Haiti in 1915. Butler described Daly as "the fightingest Marine I ever knew...It was an object lesson to have served with him."[4] General John A. Lejeune called Daly "the outstanding Marine of all time."[5]
In World War I, Daly became further cemented into Marine Corps lore when he is said to have yelled, "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" to his company before charging the Germans at the Battle of Belleau Wood, though there is considerable evidence that the battle cry was the invention of an enthusiastic war correspondent. He was also awarded the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in France.
Daly's Medals of Honor are on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia, which also features the "live forever" quote etched in the stone of the building's rotunda.[6][7]
- ^ Cerasini 2002, p. 132
- ^ Wise Jr. & Baron 2007, p. 232
- ^ Cerasini 2002, p. 97
- ^ Wise Jr. & Baron 2007, p. 235
- ^ Dieckmann Sr., Edward A. (November 1960). "Dan Daly: Reluctant Hero". Marine Corps Gazette. The Marine Corps Association. p. 24. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ "Iconic Artifacts". National Museum of the Marine Corps. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Warren, Paul (2016). Adventurer Floyd Gibbons: Eye Street's Eyewitness to History. Washington, D.C.: Warren Communications News. p. 99. ISBN 978-1535418188.