D-Day Medic From Maine, Charles Shay, Dies in France at 101

A WWII Veteran, who was a medic on D-Day died this week in France at the age of 101.

Maine WWII Veteran Who Saved Lives on Normandy Beach Dies in France

Charles Norman Shay was born in Bristol, Connecticut on June 27, 1924, the eighth of nine children, and moved with his family back to their tribal reservation village on Indian Island in Maine, when he was five.

According to the Penobscot Nation, of which he was a tribal elder, he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, and became a combat medic.

As a member of the division known as the Big Red One, landed on the beaches at Normandy in the first wave of attack on June 6, 1944, and saved many soldiers' lives.

Private Shay received the Silver Star for his heroism that day.

In this video from AA Military, talked about his life.

Maine's Charles Shay, WWII Veteran, Dies in France at 101

His long military career included stints in the Army and then the Air Force. He spent nearly a month in a German prison camp, fought in Japan during the Korean War, and took part in atomic bomb tests in the Southern Pacific.

Shay received many honors, including four bronze Battle Stars, and the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters for Valor.

Get our free mobile app

After retiring from the military. Shay settled in Austria with his wife, Lilli. In 1988, they moved back to Maine after Say inherited his aunt's house and tipi.

In 2007, France's President Nicholas Sarkozy personally awarded him as a Chevalier in the Legion d'Honneur.

He's been living in France, not far from Normandy, since 2007. WABI-TV reports he died Wednesday at his home there at the age of 101.

Maine Governor Janet Mills Honors WWII Veteran Charles Shay, Dead at 101

When learning of his death, Governor Janet Mills recognized his achievements.

On behalf of the people of Maine, I mourn the passing, and offer my condolences to his loved ones, the Penobscot Nation, and to all the people Charles Shay inspired during his remarkable life.

We offer our condolences, as well. Thank you, Charles Shay, for your bravery and dedication in defending our country.