Highlights

Sergeant Major Daniel Daly was a United States Marine Corps legend, widely regarded as one of the greatest enlisted Marines in history.
On June 5, 1918, during the Battle of Belleau Wood in France, Daly rallied his company with the immortal battle cry: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"
The Battle of Belleau Wood was a pivotal World War I engagement in which U.S. Marines helped halt the German advance toward Paris.
Daly was one of only two Marines to receive the Medal of Honor twice, earning it for actions in China during the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and in Haiti (1915).
His extraordinary courage and leadership at Belleau Wood, though not resulting in a third Medal of Honor, earned him the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the French Médaille Militaire.

Daniel Joseph Daly was born on November 11, 1873, in Glen Cove, New York. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899 and quickly distinguished himself as a fighter of exceptional bravery and composure under fire. His first Medal of Honor came during the Boxer Rebellion in China, where he single-handedly defended a wall position against hundreds of Boxer fighters throughout an entire night. His second Medal of Honor was awarded for his heroic actions during the occupation of Haiti in 1915, where he routed a large force of rebels nearly single-handedly.

By the time of World War I, Daly was already a living legend within the Marine Corps. At Belleau Wood in June 1918, facing a heavily fortified German position, he rallied his hesitant company forward with his famous exhortation, transforming a moment of uncertainty into a determined charge. The Marines' fierce fighting at Belleau Wood earned them the German nickname "Teufelshunden," or Devil Dogs, a title the Corps proudly carries to this day. Daly retired in 1929 and passed away on April 27, 1937, his legacy cemented as one of the most decorated enlisted servicemen in American military history.