Extremely Rare
Charles Norman Shay
The Story
Charles Norman Shay, a Penobscot Indian from Maine, was just 19 when he waded ashore on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. As a combat medic with the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, he carried no weapon—only his medical kit and a deep spiritual resolve drawn from his Native American heritage.
On that bloody morning, Shay repeatedly plunged into the surf to drag wounded soldiers to safety, saving countless lives while under withering German machine-gun fire. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day.
But Shay's war did not end at Normandy. He went on to fight in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and eventually into Germany. He was captured twice and escaped both times.
Perhaps most remarkably, Shay became one of the most decorated Native American soldiers of WWII, earning four Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. Yet his story remained largely unknown outside his community because Native American contributions were systematically overlooked by the military and media of that era.
After the war, Shay became an elder and medicine man of the Penobscot Nation. He has spent decades advocating for veterans and sharing his story. In 2019, a statue was erected in his honor in Normandy—the first statue of a Native American soldier on French soil.
On that bloody morning, Shay repeatedly plunged into the surf to drag wounded soldiers to safety, saving countless lives while under withering German machine-gun fire. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions that day.
But Shay's war did not end at Normandy. He went on to fight in the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and eventually into Germany. He was captured twice and escaped both times.
Perhaps most remarkably, Shay became one of the most decorated Native American soldiers of WWII, earning four Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. Yet his story remained largely unknown outside his community because Native American contributions were systematically overlooked by the military and media of that era.
After the war, Shay became an elder and medicine man of the Penobscot Nation. He has spent decades advocating for veterans and sharing his story. In 2019, a statue was erected in his honor in Normandy—the first statue of a Native American soldier on French soil.
Why You Haven't Heard This Story
Native American soldiers were often overlooked in WWII narratives. Shay's story was buried under systemic erasure of Indigenous contributions to American military history.