Charles Shay, the teen medic who saved lives on D-Day, passes away at the age of 101

Charles Shay, a celebrated Native American soldier who served as a U.S. Army medic at just 19 during the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach, has died at the age of 101. He passed away at his residence in Bretteville-L'Orgueilleuse, Normandy, France, according to his longtime companion and caretaker, Marie-Pascale Legrand.

Shay, a member of the Penobscot tribe from Indian Island, Maine, received the Silver Star for repeatedly entering the water to rescue critically injured soldiers, saving many from drowning. In 2007, he was also awarded Frances highest honor, the Legion of Honor.

Since 2018, Shay lived near the Normandy coast, close to the site where nearly 160,000 Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944. The Battle of Normandy significantly accelerated Germanys defeat less than a year later.

Legrand said Shay died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. In 2019, Shay told CBS News he moved to France to remain near the soldiers he had lost. He described speaking to their spirits on the beach, assuring they were not forgotten.

The Charles Shay Memorial group, honoring roughly 500 Native Americans who participated in the Normandy landings, shared on Facebook that Shay has returned home to the Creator and the Spirit World. They described him as a devoted father, grandfather, uncle, and hero whose legacy of courage, service, and family continues to inspire.

Heroism on D-Day

On D-Day, 4,414 Allied troops, including 2,501 Americans, lost their lives, and over 5,000 were wounded. Shay recalled the chaos under fire, with mortars and artillery striking as soldiers struggled in the surf. Many wounded could not move, and Shay risked his life to save them.

Shay survived, saying he was ready to die if necessary but focused entirely on completing his mission. He slept amid the fallen soldiers and continued rescuing the injured for weeks before advancing with U.S. forces through eastern France and Germany. He was briefly captured in March 1945 but was liberated shortly afterward.

Life After War

Following World War II, Shay reenlisted due to the ongoing challenges faced by Native Americans in Maine, where voting rights for reservation residents were not recognized until 1954. His service extended to the Korean War, U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, and later work with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.

For decades, Shay did not discuss his World War II experiences, but beginning in 2007, he regularly attended D-Day commemorations. He used these events to share his story and promote peace. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his presence alone symbolized remembrance as international travel restrictions prevented many veterans and families from attending.

Legacy and Remembrance

Shay conducted sage-burning ceremonies on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach to honor the fallen. In 2022, he passed this duty to Julia Kelly, a Crow tribe Gulf War veteran, shortly after Russias invasion of Ukraine. Shay expressed sorrow at witnessing conflict return to Europe, reflecting on the enduring hope for peace that began with the Allied landings in 1944.

Author: Chloe Ramirez