The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private Michael Joseph Daly (ASN: 0-1692630), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company I, 3d Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in the vicinity of Beziers, Normandy, France, on 15 June 1944. When the enemy concentrated a heavy artillery barrage upon his company positions, Private Daly, with complete disregard for his safety, courageously moved his observation post to an exposed point affording better view of the immediate terrain and opened fire upon an enemy patrol attempting to infiltrate our lines. His gallant act contributed immeasurably to the security of his organization. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Private Daly, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
Sponsored by:
Awards Received
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Silver Star
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Silver Star
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Bronze Star Medal
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Medal of Honor
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
First Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Second Lieutenant]Batallion:
1st BattalionRegiment:
15th Infantry RegimentDivision:
3d Infantry DivisionAction Date:
January 25, 1945
Headquarters, 3d Infantry Division, General Orders No. 113 (March 29, 1945)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Second Lieutenant] Michael Joseph Daly (ASN: 0-1692630), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On the afternoon of 25 January 1945, during the attack upon the woods in the vicinity of ***, *****, First Lieutenant Daly, placing himself at the head of his 24-man platoon, led his men 300 yards across heavily shelled and bullet-swept terrain, to aggressively attack and demolish an enemy strongpoint. Despite bullets hitting only inches away from him, First Lieutenant Daly advanced to within 30 yards of a Germany machine gun, killed the gunner and enabled his men to capture the gun. His leadership was inspirational and skillful to such a degree that his platoon cleared its objective in three quarters of an hour, killing 20 Germans and wounding and capturing many others. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by First Lieutenant Daly, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
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Silver Star
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
First Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Second Lieutenant]Batallion:
1st BattalionRegiment:
15th Infantry RegimentDivision:
3d Infantry DivisionAction Date:
February 4, 1945
Headquarters, 3d Infantry Division, General Orders No. 113 (March 29, 1945)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Second Lieutenant] Michael Joseph Daly (ASN: 0-1692630), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. On the afternoon of 4 February 1945, near ***, *****, First Lieutenant Daly stood for 30 minutes on a road in plain view of three enemy machine gunners and twenty enemy with machine pistols 200 yards away to draw their concentrated fire and enabled his patrol, over half of them casualties, to withdraw from a coverless position. Although a hail of bullets cracked all about him and ricocheted off the road by his feet, First Lieutenant Daly remained exposed until his patrol withdrew with the wounded. In addition, he fired into an enemy force which had approached to within 50 yards of his patrol, killing two and alerting his own men to fight off the enemy. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by First Lieutenant Daly, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.
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Bronze Star Medal
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
Captain (Infantry), [then First Lieutenant]Regiment:
15th Infantry RegimentDivision:
1st Infantry DivisionAction Date:
March 18, 1945
Headquarters, 3d Infantry Division, General Orders No. 312 (August 27, 1945)The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Bronze Star Medal to Captain (Infantry), [then First Lieutenant] Michael Joseph Daly (ASN: 0-1692630), United States Army, for valorous conduct not involving participation in aerial flight in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States. On 18 March 1945, near Hornbach, Germany, when the assault platoon of his Company encountered severe artillery and machine gun fire as they approached the dragon’s teeth and casements of the Siegfried Line, Captain Daly, Executive Officer, Company A, 15th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, left his headquarters group, advanced through fire to the assault elements and spurred them forward. He led a squad in the assault on a formidable enemy pillbox and, when the Company was ordered to withdraw, left his post last, covering the others with his fire. Organizing a defensive position in defilade, he personally reconnoitered over exposed and fire-swept ground and held his forward position until relief arrived.
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Medal of Honor
Service:
United States ArmyRank:
Captain (Infantry)Batallion:
1st BattalionRegiment:
15th Infantry RegimentDivision:
3d Infantry DivisionAction Date:
April 18, 1945
War Department, General Orders No. 77, September 10, 1945The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Captain (Infantry) Michael Joseph Daly (ASN: 0-1692630), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Early in the morning of 18 April 1945, Captain Daly led his company through the shell-battered, sniper-infested wreckage of Nuremberg, Germany. When blistering machinegun fire caught his unit in an exposed position, he ordered his men to take cover, dashed forward alone, and, as bullets whined about him, shot the three-man guncrew with his carbine. Continuing the advance at the head of his company, he located an enemy patrol armed with rocket launchers which threatened friendly armor. He again went forward alone, secured a vantage point and opened fire on the Germans. Immediately he became the target for concentrated machine pistol and rocket fire, which blasted the rubble about him. Calmly, he continued to shoot at the patrol until he had killed all six enemy infantrymen. Continuing boldly far in front of his company, he entered a park, where as his men advanced, a German machinegun opened up on them without warning. With his carbine, he killed the gunner; and then, from a completely exposed position, he directed machinegun fire on the remainder of the crew until all were dead. In a final duel, he wiped out a third machinegun emplacement with rifle fire at a range of ten yards. By fearlessly engaging in four single-handed fire fights with a desperate, powerfully armed enemy, Lieutenant Daly, voluntarily taking all major risks himself and protecting his men at every opportunity, killed 15 Germans, silenced three enemy machineguns and wiped out an entire enemy patrol. His heroism during the lone bitter struggle with fanatical enemy forces was an inspiration to the valiant Americans who took Nuremberg.