J u ly / A u g u s t 2 0 1 7 6 1 Roots from left: Marie-Pascale Legrand; First Division Museum at Cantigny Over There, Over Here By Haley Snyder Penobscot Indian elder Charles Shay’s heroism on Normandy Beach is celebrated on both sides of theAtlantic. W hen Charles Norman Shay, 93, landed on Omaha Beach, Normandy, he was just 19. That day, he held the lives of dozens of oth- er young men in his hands. More than bringing the Maine mystique to the coast of France on June 6, 1944, Shay was riding the waves of history on D-Day as a com- bat medic in the frontline infantry platoon, charging into one of the largest seaborne landings ever seen. Born in 1924 on the Indian Island Res- ervation, Shay is member of the Penobscot tribe and a direct descendant of Jean-Vin- cent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin, the French military officer and Abenaki chief im- mortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfel- low’s poem The Baron of St. Castine, and for whom the seaport town of Castine is named. Shay’s life echoes with that of his ancestor–both are inexorably linked to France and the Penobscot tribes by their roles in historic battles. Now, both have even been immortalized in verse. In 2007, Shay, as Penobscot elder, re- turned for the first time to the Normandy coast and several other World War II sites where he’d served as a young combat med- ic, accompanied by anthropologists Harold Prins and Bunny McBride. “When I returned to Omaha Beach, it was difficult for me to believe that 63 years earlier, I had landed in the first wave of the invading troops,” Shay says. “So many had to die or were wounded, and I remained unscathed. I thought I must have had a guiding angel. When I looked across the beaches all those years later, I could still hear the screams and cries of the wounded and dying begging for help. I did what I could to relieve their pain and misery.” In recognition of his efforts, Shay was given the Silver Star for his service. Lat- er in 2007, he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration for valor, by then-President Nicolas Sarkozy. For Shay, retirement was never on the cards. He’s spent the past decade travel- ing back and forth to France in an effort to strengthen Penobscot-French ties while writing his autobiography, Project Oma- ha Beach: The Life and Military Service of a Penobscot Indian Elder. He also initiated a Maine state law that marks June 21 as Na- tive American Veterans Day, honoring the 25,000 North American Indian veterans who fought in World War II. This heroic Mainer’s tireless exploits have gained him some fame on both sides of the Atlantic. Caen resident Marie Le- grand was so inspired by Shay’s story and “I performed an Indian smoke ceremony [on Omaha Beach]. I believe I can take up contact with the souls of the men who are still wandering about on the beaches of Normandy, lost.” –Charles Shay