HAPPY 134TH BIRTHDAY SGT. MAJ. DAN DALY

[DevilDan1900]

Aside from today being Veteran's Day, a time when we remember and honor all of our nation's vets, it is also the birthday of one of my personal heroes, Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly, USMC, born November 11th 1873. Sgt. Maj. Daly is the only enlisted Marine to ever have been awarded the Medal of Honor on two seperate occasions for acts of valor. He enlisted in the Corps on Jan 10, 1899 at the age of 25, standing 5'3" and weighing roughly 135 lbs. His professed reason for enlisting was to participate in the Spanish American War, however soon after completing boot camp, he was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet and shipped out abourd the armoured cruiser U.S.S. Newark.

 

On the evening of Aug. 14, 1900 then Private Daly and Capt. Newt Hall occupied a barricade surrounding the Legation Compound in the city of Peking China during the Boxer Rebellion. Set between the Ch'ien Men and Hata Men gate, it was a solid defensive position.

 

As night fell, the Capt. returned to get reinforcements who had failed to appear, and Daly volunteered to stay at the barricade. His position was assaulted by the Chinese all through the night, but the Marine held through attack after attack, knowing full well that if he was killed, the Boxers would spill through the gap in the defenses and likely kill all inside the compound. When morning came, according to some eyewhitnesses, Daly had singlehandedly accounted for between 200 - 300 Chinese Boxers who now laid in piles before the barricade.

 

On December 11, 1901 Daly was awarded the Navy issue Medal of Honor. The citation for his first of two awards of the Navy Medal of Honor reads; "In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 14 August 1900, Daly distinguished himself by meritorious conduct."

 

Daly's next action saw him at the occupation of Vera Cruze, Mexico in 1914. This was followed smartly by action in Haiti during the first occupation of that Caribbean country. By now a Gunnery Sergeant, Daly was part of a patrol under Smedley Butler which was pushing the bandit Cacos into an old French fort in an attempt to consolidate and destroy the remaining rebels.

 

His patrol of 35 Marines was ambushed by an approximate force of 400 Cacos. While fording a river in a deep ravine, the rebels opened fire. All the Marines made it to the bank safely, however, the horse carrying the Lewis machine gun was killed and abandoned in mid river, along with many others. During the night, the embattled Marines were again attacked and Butler called for the machine gun. Daly immediately volunteered to return to the river and retrieve the weapon.

 

Making his way back to the river through enemy patrols, he swam the river under fire, found the dead horse, cut the gun from it, and strapping it to his back before returning to the Marine Position. This action earned him his second Navy issue of the Medal of Honor. A place in Marine Corps history shared by only one other Marine, Smedley D. Butler. Both men earning these second awards during the same action.

 

Daly's citation reads; "Serving with the Fifteenth Company of Marines on 22 October 1915, Gunnery Sergeant Daly was one of the company to leave Fort Liberte, Haiti, for a six day reconnaissance. After dark on the evening of 24 October, while crossing the river in a deep ravine, the detachment was suddenly fired upon from three sides by about 400 Cacos concealed in bushes about 100 yards from the fort. The Marine detachment fought its way forward to a good position, which it maintained during the night, although subjected to a continuous fire from the Cacos. At daybreak, the Marines in three squads, advanced in three directions, surprising and scattering the Cacos in all directions. Gunnery Sergeant Daly fought with exceptional gallantry against heavy odds throughout this action."

 

By now, at age 44 Daly was looking to the clouds of war in France and soon he shipped "over the pond" as First Sergeant of the 73rd Machine Gun Company, 6th Marines. His many actions during this conflict were to net him his, as he said, "hat full of medals." One of which was wiping out German machine gun nests alone with grenades and a .45 Colt pistol, another time capturing 13 enemy soldiers, as well as putting out a fire which had broken out in an ammunition dump.

 

At Lucy li Boucage, on the outskirts of Belleau Wood France, Daly made a comment which still thunders with the Marine spirit today. Outnumbered, outgunned and pinned in a poor position by German Maxim guns, the Marines were soon to be chopped to pieces. Daly ordered an attack, leaping forward and yelling to his men. He is purported to have said, "Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" Regardless of what was said, he and his small group of Marines surged out of the position and captured the town of Lucy li Bocage.

 

Offered a commission on several occasions, Daly replied "I'd rather be an outstanding Sergeant than just another Officer." For his gallant conduct during WW1, Dan Daly was actually recommended for a third Medal of Honor but for political reasons, was awarded the DSC instead. When World War One ended on Dan's Birthday, Nov. 11th, he was purported to have said he considered it "not a bad Birthday present."

 

Daly remained single his entire life and retired from the Corps February 6, 1929 as a Sergeant Major. At age 65 on April 28, 1937 Daly died at Glenade L.I, New York.

 

Happy Birthday Sergeant Major, well done.

[Brig]

great tribute to a great man with a great history in our beloved Corps

[DevilDan1900]

Here's another shot of the Sgt. Maj. (when he was a Gunny) showing him wearing his "hat full of medals." This was taken after he was taken off from the active duty roster and placed in reserve following WW1, likely around 1919, which would make him 46 in this picture.

[nguoi tien su]

Outstanding ! He is a real hero ...

 

And that is a good occasion to remember and thank our allies.

 

NTS, from France

[teufelhunde.ret]

"I'd rather be an outstanding Sergeant than just another Officer."...Amen, happy birthday Sgt. Maj.