Master Sergeant Charles Norman Shay, who passed away this past Wednesday at 101, saved many lives on D-Day at Normandy while putting his own life at risk.
“I saw there were many wounded men struggling in the water,” he said. “And I knew that if nobody went to help them, they would die.”
At the time, he was an Army private with the First Infantry Division. He once explained how he rescued the soldiers:
“I tried to get as many men out of the water as I could by turning them onto their backs and holding them under their shoulders. I don’t know where my strength came from, but they say once adrenaline starts, you can do amazing things.”
Shay also fought in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. Near the end of the war, he was captured and became a prisoner of war. He was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery.
As a Native American returning to Maine, he struggled to find work, so he reenlisted in the Army and made it his career. For his heroism in the Korean War, he received the Bronze Star.
Master Sergeant Shay faced bullets and prejudice throughout his long life, yet he never became bitter. He lived and died as a true American hero.
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