Shay, a member of the Penobscot tribe from Indian Island, Maine, has been residing in France since 2018, near the shores of Normandy where world leaders are expected to gather next month to honor the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada, and other nations who landed on June 6, 1944.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Shay reflected on his experiences on D-Day, "I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to." He recalled the harrowing scene on Omaha Beach, with wounded and dying soldiers, body parts, and corpses scattered around him, amidst the relentless machine-gun fire and shells. Shay was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic efforts in saving critically wounded soldiers from drowning, and France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, in 2007.
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However, Shay's memories of D-Day are also tinged with sadness. He was unable to save his friend, Pvt. Edward Morozewicz, who succumbed to a serious stomach wound on the beach. "He had a wound that I could not help him with because I did not have the proper instruments ... He was bleeding to death. And I knew that he was dying. I tried to comfort him. And I tried to do what I could for him, but there was no help," Shay recounted. "And while I was treating him, he died in my arms."
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Shay's service did not end with D-Day. He continued his mission in Normandy for several weeks, rescuing the wounded, before joining American troops in eastern France and Germany. He was taken prisoner in March 1945 and liberated a few weeks later. After World War II, Shay reenlisted in the military, driven by the precarious situation of Native Americans in his home state of Maine due to poverty and discrimination.
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Shay's life after the war was equally eventful. He served as a medic during the Korean War, participated in U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, and later worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. For over six decades, Shay remained silent about his WWII experiences. However, he began attending D-Day commemorations in 2007 and has since seized many opportunities to share his powerful testimony.
In 2018, Shay relocated from Maine to Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, a small town in the Normandy region. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, he was among the few veterans able to attend commemorations, representing those who could not make the trip due to restrictions. Shay also used to lead a Native American ritual each year on D-Day, burning sage in homage to those who died. In 2022, he handed over this remembrance task to another Native American, Julia Kelly, a Gulf War veteran from the Crow tribe.
The Charles Shay Memorial on Omaha Beach pays tribute to the 175 Native Americans who landed there on D-Day. Despite his hope that D-Day would bring global peace, Shay expressed his sadness at the ongoing wars and what he considers the senseless loss of lives. "But it has not, because you see that we go from one war to the next. There will always be wars. People and nations cannot get along with each other," Shay lamented. As he prepares to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Shay continues to spread his message of peace with tireless dedication.
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