Charles Shay

Prisoner of War

Personal Information

Birthplace: Maine

Service Information

Branch of Service: Army

Theater of Operation: European

Battle: Normandy

Military Honors: The Silver Star, The French Legion of Honor

Honored By: The Eisenhower Foundation

Biography

Charles Shay was born in 1923 and grew up Native American on Indian Island in Maine. He was part of the Penobscot tribe. In April 1943 at the age of 19, he was drafted into the Army as a medic. Shay trained hard and would be part of the D-Day landings.

He received the Silver Star for saving many soldiers from drowning on June 6. He moved through Normandy with this troop and then was sent to eastern France and Germany. Shay was taken prisoner March 1945 but liberated a few weeks later. After the war, there were few jobs or well-paying jobs for a Native American man, so Shay reenlisted.

In 2018, he moved to France, and he attended the 80th anniversary ceremonies in Normandy.

Courtesy of AP, and The History Channel