Charles Shay, Penobscot Nation WWII Veteran and D-Day Landing Survivor, Dies at 99
NORMANDY, France – Charles Shay, a Penobscot Nation veteran who stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and became a powerful voice for peace in his later years, has died at the age of 99. Shay passed away peacefully in France, where he had lived since 1994, according to the American Association of Indian Affairs.
Shay’s death marks the loss of a vital link to a pivotal moment in history and a poignant reminder of the contributions of Native Americans to the Allied war effort – contributions often overlooked.He was among the first wave of soldiers to land on omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, serving as a medic with the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. His story highlights the past irony of Native american soldiers fighting for freedoms denied to their communities back home, where they were not granted full citizenship and faced restrictions, including limitations on their right to vote until 1954.
Born in 1924, Shay enlisted in the Army at 19, motivated by a desire to defend freedom. Following WWII, he continued to serve his country during the Korean War, also as a medic. He later participated in U.S.nuclear testing in the marshall Islands and worked at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna,Austria. For over six decades, Shay remained silent about his wartime experiences, beginning to share his story onyl in 2007 when he started attending D-Day commemorations.
In recent years, Shay became a dedicated advocate for peace, using his platform to deliver powerful testimony about the horrors of war. He performed a sage-burning ceremony for decades on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, honoring the fallen, and in June 2022, he passed that duty to Julia Kelly, a Gulf War veteran from the Crow tribe. The transfer occurred just months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a development 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 said in 2022.”In 1944, I landed on these beaches and we thought we’d bring peace to the world. But it’s not possible.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Shay’s solitary presence at commemoration ceremonies symbolized the sacrifices made by Allied forces when travel restrictions prevented families and fellow veterans from attending. His legacy will continue to inspire generations to strive for a world free from conflict.