"Come on, you sons of b*tches, do you want to live forever?" Dan Daly is said to have roared that at Belleau Wood in 1918, rising up in front of his pinned-down, outnumbered Marines and leading them forward. He stood at just five foot six and weighed only 135 pounds, but he was one of the toughest Marines who ever lived. One of only two men to earn the Medal of Honor twice from two separate wars. Daly earned his first in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, holding a stretch of wall outside Peking through the night against wave after wave of attackers. He earned his second in 1915, ambushed in Haiti with a patrol vastly outnumbered, fighting his way out and leading the charge that took the enemy's fort. His commanding officer, Smedley Butler, called him "the fightingest Marine I ever knew." A general called him "the outstanding Marine of all time." The little man from Long Island survived Belleau Wood too, and retired a sergeant major.

Sep 21, 2026 · 2:00 PM UTC

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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
The Germans were allegedly somewhat dismayed by the shooting prowess of Americans. Like the Brits, rifle skills were seen as an important thing to have. As demonstrated here.
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Even since we had to shoot to survive on the frontier, we’ve always had excellent marksmen.
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
The child of Scottish, Methodist Missionaries who was in China at the time of the Boxer Uprising with his parents, was a regular guest at Sunday lunches. It's a privilege to have spent time listening to and learning from the people who had lived history.
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
Smedley Butler was the other double MOH, BTW. "Devil Dog" Dan's story post retirement is also fascinating. He became a 'doorman' and bank guard on Wall Street. Stories are that the snotty, arrogant "Wall Street Whizzes" of the 1920's never understood why many slightly older men would salute the humble doorman or guard as they passed by him - sometimes stopping to chat for a moment or two.
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
Prior to the charge, the Marines, to the German's astonishment, were getting headshots at distance by proping their backs up against trees and firing their 1903 Springfields. Every Marine a rifleman! Semper Fi!
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
Sounds like he was a Bulldog!
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
That's such a legendary line lmao
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
Probably a normal height back then.
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
a great uncle fought there
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
That is the face of a man who is NOT to be trifled with ....
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
I hate Mondays.
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Replying to @HistoryWJacob
He would be an incel today, and wouldn't bother joining.
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