A Hero's Journey: Remembering Charles Shay, the D-Day Medic Who Carried a Legacy of Peace
The world recently lost a true hero, Charles Shay, a decorated Native American D-Day veteran whose courage on Omaha Beach as a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic saved countless lives. Shay, a member of the Penobscot tribe from Indian Island, Maine, passed away peacefully at his home in Bretteville-L’Orgueilleuse, France, in Normandy, at the remarkable age of 101. His life was a testament to bravery, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to peace, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to inspire generations.
On June 6, 1944, a day etched into history as D-Day, Shay landed on Omaha Beach amidst the chaos and horror of war. Amidst the relentless gunfire and the cries of the wounded, he repeatedly plunged into the treacherous waters, pulling critically injured soldiers from the sea and carrying them to relative safety, preventing them from drowning. For his extraordinary valor, he was awarded the Silver Star, a testament to his selfless acts under the most extreme circumstances. France further honored his contributions in 2007 with their highest award, the Legion of Honor.
Shay’s survival on that day, when 4,414 Allied troops, including 2,501 Americans, lost their lives, was a miracle. "I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to," he recounted in a 2024 interview. His focus was solely on his mission. "I had been given a job, and the way I looked at it, it was up to me to complete my job," he explained. "I did not have time to worry about my situation of being there and perhaps losing my life. There was no time for this." Exhausted after the grueling day, he found a moment of respite in a grove above the beach, only to awaken to a grim scene. "When I woke up in the morning, it was like I was sleeping in a graveyard because there were dead Americans and Germans surrounding me," he recalled, a haunting image that stayed with him. His mission, however, continued for weeks in Normandy, rescuing the wounded before he journeyed with American troops into eastern France and Germany, where he was briefly taken prisoner in March 1945 before his liberation.
After the war, Shay’s journey continued, driven by the precarious situation of Native Americans facing poverty and discrimination in his home state of Maine, where individuals on Native American reservations were not allowed to vote until 1954. He re-enlisted in the military, serving as a medic during the Korean War, witnessing further history through U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, and later contributing to global peace efforts at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.
For over six decades, Shay remained silent about his World War II experiences, the weight of the memories perhaps too heavy to bear. However, beginning in 2007, he started attending D-Day commemorations, eventually finding his voice and sharing his powerful testimony. His message was always one of peace, a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made and the enduring hope for a world free from conflict. During the challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shay's lone presence at commemoration ceremonies, amidst travel restrictions, served as a powerful symbol of remembrance and continuity.
Shay's deep connection to the land and the fallen was evident in his tradition of performing a sage-burning ceremony on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, a sacred act of homage at the site where a monument now bears his name. In a symbolic passing of the torch on June 6, 2022, he entrusted this remembrance task to Julia Kelly, a Gulf War veteran from the Crow tribe. This handover came just over three months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a stark reminder of the resurgence of war in Europe, a situation that deeply saddened Shay. "Ukraine is a very sad situation. I feel sorry for the people there and I don’t know why this war had to come," he lamented. "In 1944, I landed on these beaches and we thought we’d bring peace to the world. But it’s not possible."
Charles Shay, who had been living in France since 2018, not far from the very shores he helped liberate, was more than just a veteran; he was a living embodiment of courage, service, and a profound desire for a peaceful world. As the Charles Shay Memorial group stated on Facebook, "our hearts are deeply saddened as we share that our beloved Charles Norman Shay … has returned home to the Creator and the Spirit World." They further honored him as "an incredibly loving father, grandfather, father-in-law, and uncle, a hero to many, and an overall amazing human being." His legacy, a radiant tapestry of "love, service, courage, spirit, duty and family," will undoubtedly continue to shine brightly, a guiding light for humanity to remember the cost of war and the enduring pursuit of peace.
