Master Sergeant Charles Norman Shay died at the age of 101 on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at his home in Normandy, France. Shay, a decorated Native American veteran and D-Day hero, Penobscot tribal elder and cultural preservationist, has lived a life defined by courage, service and deep connection to his ancestral homeland. Born on June 27, 1924, in Bristol, Connecticut, he was the eighth of nine children of Leo Shay and Florence Nicolar. His maternal grandfather, Joseph Nicolar, authored the 1893 classic Life and Traditions of the Red Man, a cornerstone of Penobscot literature and identity.
When Charles was five, his family returned to Indian Island, the Penobscot reservation in Maine. Many generations of his ancestors had called this island home, including the famed shaman-chief Lieutenant-Governor John Neptune and Chief Joseph Orono, who led Penobscot warriors in support of the American Revolution. Growing up as the only Native student in his Old Town classroom, Charles crossed the river each day, by ferry, canoe, or even on foot across the ice in winter, to attend school.
World War II: A Medic in the first wave at Normandy
In April 1943, nearly a year after graduating from Old Town High School, Charles was drafted into the U.S. Army. Trained as a combat medic, he joined the 1st Infantry Division, “The Big Red One”, a seasoned unit fresh from campaigns in North Africa and Sicily and now preparing for the Normandy invasion.
On June 6, 1944, Private Shay landed with the first assault wave on Omaha Beach. Under withering enemy fire, he repeatedly pulled drowning and wounded soldiers from the surf, actions for which he received the Silver Star for valor. He went on to serve in some of the fiercest battles of the European theater, Aachen, the Hürtgen Forest, the Ardennes and the assault near Remagen, before being captured in the Sieg Valley. Liberated after nearly a month in German prison camps, he returned home in late 1945 with four Bronze Battle Stars.
Austria, Korea and the early atomic age
Facing limited opportunities on the reservation, Charles reenlisted in 1946 and was deployed to Vienna with the Military Police Company. There he met his future wife, Lilli. In 1950, as war erupted in Korea, he joined the 3rd Infantry Division’s Medical Company and was soon fighting in North Korea against advancing Chinese forces. Promoted to Master Sergeant, he earned the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters for Valor and was nominated for a second Silver Star.
After an honorable discharge, he continued his military career by joining the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1952, soon returning to active duty. As a medic with the 6th Weather Squadron, he traveled to the Marshall Islands to support the 1954 atomic test series known as Operation Castle. Later assignments took him back to Europe, where he served at U.S. Air Force hospitals in Wiesbaden and Sembach, Germany. He retired from active duty in 1964 after more than two decades of military service.
A second career in international service
Settling in Vienna, Charles began a new chapter with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where he worked for 20 years. After retiring from the IAEA at age 60, he spent three additional years with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 1988, during a visit home to Indian Island, he inherited the historic home and tipi of his aunt Lucy Nicolar and her husband, Kiowa artist Bruce Poolaw. Charles and Lilli restored the property over many summers, eventually relocating permanently to the reservation in 2003. Lilli passed away soon after and Charles devoted himself fully to preserving Penobscot cultural heritage. He opened a small museum in his tipi, published works on Penobscot history and helped bring a new edition of his grandfather’s Life and Traditions of the Red Man back into print.
Honors and legacy
On June 6, 2007, Maine Governor John Baldacci proclaimed the day “Native American Veterans History Day” in Shay’s honor and the Maine State Legislature issued an official Sentiment recognizing his extraordinary military service. Later that year, he returned to Omaha Beach, a journey supported by the Maine Humanities Council and the First Division Museum. On November 6, 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy personally named him a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur, one of France’s highest recognitions.
In 2008, Shay was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the 16th Infantry Regiment during a special ceremony at Fort Riley, Kansas, the home of the 1st Infantry Division, the renowned “Big Red One.” The following year, he led the successful effort to have June 21 officially recognized as Native American Veterans Day in Maine, making it the first state in the nation to adopt the observance. Eight years later, he returned to France to inaugurate a large granite turtle sculpture at the Charles Shay Indian Memorial, a quiet park set among the dunes overlooking Omaha Beach.
Today, Charles Norman Shay stands as a bridge between generations, a keeper of Penobscot history, a survivor of some of the most pivotal battles of the 20th century and a living reminder of the enduring strength of Indigenous veterans. Rest in peace.
