D-Day medic Charles Shay dies at 101
Charles Norman Shay, a Penobscot tribal elder and World War II medic who as a teen helped rescue wounded on D‑Day, died at 101 at his home in Thue et Mue, France, near Omaha Beach, his death announced by a group supporting the Charles N. Shay Indian Memorial. He was one of roughly 175 Native Americans among about 34,000 Allied troops who landed on Omaha Beach, later recounted his wartime rescues in a 2010 Library of Congress interview, and in 1945 was turned away from voting in Maine — where Native Americans did not gain full suffrage until 1954.
📌 Key Facts
- Charles Norman Shay, a tribal elder and World War II medic, died at 101 at his home in Thue et Mue, France, near Omaha Beach.
- His death was announced by a group supporting the Charles N. Shay Indian Memorial.
- Shay was one of about 175 Native Americans among roughly 34,000 Allied troops who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
- He served as a D-Day medic and, in a 2010 Library of Congress interview, described rescuing wounded soldiers during the landings.
- In 1945 he was turned away from voting in Maine; Native Americans in the state did not gain full suffrage until 1954.
📊 Relevant Data
Native Americans in Maine living on reservations were denied voting rights until 1954 because the state constitution excluded 'untaxed Indians' from suffrage.
Introduction - Primary Source Sets — Maine Shared History
In 1950, the Native American population in Maine was 1,522, representing approximately 0.17% of the state's total population of 913,774.
Table 34. Maine - Race and Hispanic Origin: 1790 to 1990 — U.S. Census Bureau
Despite the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granting U.S. citizenship to Native Americans, states like Maine continued to deny voting rights to those living on reservations until 1954.
Native Americans' Long Journey to US Citizenship and Voting Rights — HISTORY
Approximately 44,000 Native Americans served in the U.S. military during World War II out of an estimated population of under 400,000, a service rate comparable to the national average despite many lacking full voting rights.
World War II — National Museum of the American Indian
📰 Sources (2)
- Shay died at his home in Thue et Mue, France, near Omaha Beach.
- Death was announced by a group supporting the Charles N. Shay Indian Memorial.
- He was one of about 175 Native Americans among roughly 34,000 Allied troops who landed on Omaha Beach.
- Detail that in 1945 he was turned away from voting in Maine; Native Americans in the state did not gain suffrage until 1954.
- Includes a 2010 Library of Congress interview quote describing his D-Day rescues.