Charles Norman Shay, the Native American veteran who tended to the wounded at Omaha Beach on D-Day

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https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240604-charles-norman-shay-native-american-veteran-tended-wounded-omaha-beach-d-day-soldier-world-war-ii

80TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY

Charles Norman Shay, the Native American veteran who tended to the wounded at Omaha Beach on D-Day

from our special correspondent in Caen – Charles Norman Shay was one of the 500 Native Americans who came ashore on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was barely 20 years old and had grown up on an Indian reservation in the US state of Maine. Today, the former combat medic has settled permanently in the Calvados district of Normandy, a few kilometres from where “the most important day of his life” took place.

Issued on: 04/06/2024 - 06:41
Modified: 04/06/2024 - 06:43
7 min

By: Cyrielle CABOT

Seated in his large red leather armchair, his grey hair impeccably combed and his tie knotted, Charles Norman Shay will celebrate his 100th birthday on June 27.

“The only thing I've ever achieved in my life is that I've never been wounded or killed. I've only done my job,” he says repeatedly to visitors.

He is surrounded by mementos of his long life: military medals, photos of family, friends and regimental companions. There is also a Native American headdress, and, scattered everywhere, small turtle statuettes – a symbol common to many Native American tribes, signifying longevity and wisdom.



Shay rests in his library, decorated with his many military decorations and photos of family and friends, on May 19, 2024. © Cyrielle Cabot, FRANCE 24

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