Charles Norman Shay

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Charles Norman Shay
Charles Shay at Omaha Beach in 2018
Charles Shay on Omaha Beach in October 2018.
Born (1924-06-27) June 27, 1924 (age 99)
Bristol, Connecticut, USA
Allegiance United States
RankMaster Sergeant
Unit1st Infantry
3rd Infantry
Battles/wars
AwardsSilver Star, Bronze Star (3)

Charles Norman Shay (born June 27, 1924) is a

Legion d'Honneur, making him the first Native American in Maine with the distinction of French chevalier. He was instrumental in the re-publishing of a book by his own grandfather, Joseph Nicolar: The Life and Traditions of the Red Man, originally published in 1893. He has recently written an autobiography, Project Omaha Beach: The Life and Military Service of a Penobscot Indian Elder that details his time abroad in the military. Shay is also a direct descendant of Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin.[1]

World War II

Shay was drafted into the military in 1943 at the age of 19. He was selected for training as a medical technician and learned basic surgery skills. Shay joined the Medical Detachment of the

Huertgen Forest, and the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge
).

Shay was later attached to a reconnaissance squadron moving into the small farming village of

Stalag VI-G.[5]
The column of prisoners grew along the way as the German unit accumulated more and more American soldiers. Shay was interrogated at the camp and held there until April 12, 1945, when American troops encircled the camp, trapping 350,000 enemy soldiers and liberating the camp. Shay was sent home soon after.

Post-World War II and Korea

After making it home safely, Shay was unable to find work, like many other veterans after the war. He re-enlisted and was stationed in

Vienna, Austria, serving as a medic with a Military Police Battalion. While stationed there he met a woman named Lilli [Rosa] Bollarth, and they married on March 21, 1950.[6] When the Korean War broke out later that year, Shay joined the 3rd Division's 7th Infantry Regiment as a medic and was shipped to Japan. A few months later, his regiment went into battle in Korea and he served again as a combat medic. Shay was promoted to master sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters.[2]

Retirement

Charles and his wife Lilli lived together in Vienna, visiting Shay's original hometown on

Indian Island in Maine in the summers. Charles and Lilli officially relocated to Indian Island in 2003, but unfortunately Lilli fell ill almost immediately. She died shortly after.[7]

Shay has also renovated the two-story wooden "Teepee" on Native Island that his aunt Lucy Nicolar Poolaw and her Kiowa Indian husband Chief Bruce Poolaw built as a novelty shop and to sell Lucy's handmade baskets. Shay has restored the site as a small Family Museum.

Charles Norman Shay is an elder member of the

Penobscot tribe of Maine. Also known as the Penawahpskewi, the people of the Penobscot Nation are federally recognized. The tribe is part of the Wabanaki group, located in Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Shay lives in the community of the Native Americans reservation where he spent his childhood on Penobscot Island, opposite Old Town, Maine. In his retirement, Shay played a big role in the installment of National Native American Veterans Day.[8]

In 2021, Shay was reported to be living in France, as the only veteran to attend the D-Day commemoration due to COVID-19 travel's restrictions.[9]

Project Omaha Beach

Charles Shay Indian Memorial on Omaha Beach.

In spring of 2007, Shay along with

First Division Museum in Wheaton, Illinois.[10]

Prins, McBride, and Shay visited

President of the French Republic at the French Embassy in Washington DC.[12]

A year later, in 2008, Shay was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the 16th Infantry Regiment in a special ceremony at Fort Riley, Kansas, home base of the 1st Infantry Division, the famous "Big Red One." In 2009, he spearheaded the official establishment of June 21 as Native American Veterans Day in Maine, the first state in the US to do so.[13] Eight years later, he was invited to ceremonially inaugurate a large granite turtle sculpture at the "Charles Shay Indian Memorial," a small park in the dunes overlooking Omaha Beach.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Khaldi, Tarik (June 10, 2009). "The Béarnese Indian". Sud-Ouest.
  2. ^ a b "Veteran Dossiers". DeepRespect.org. Association Deep Respect. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
  3. ^ Shay (2012), pp. 13–14
  4. ^ Prins and McBride (2019)
  5. ^ Van Buren, Michael (July 24, 2010). "Shay, Charles Norman". Central Connecticut State University Veterans History Project. YouTube. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  6. ^ Shay (2012), p. 84
  7. ISBN 978-1-882190-08-9
    .
  8. ^ Snyder, Haley (20 July 2017). "Over There, Over Here". Portland Magazine. Portland Monthly. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  9. ^ "96-year-old American is lone veteran to attend D-Day anniversary". 5 June 2021.
  10. ^ Shay (2012), p. ix
  11. ^ Shay (2012)
  12. ^ Prins and McBride (2007)
  13. ^ Statehouse News Service (2009). Maine Native American Veterans Seek Their Own Day The Lincoln County News, February 28, 2009.https://lcnme.com/currentnews/Maine-Native-American-veterans-seek-their-own-day/
  14. ^ Prins and McBride (2017)

References

Further reading

External links

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