FILE - WWII veteran Charles Shay, 97 pays tribute to soldiers during a D-Day commemoration ceremony of the 78th anniversary for those who helped end World War II, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/ Jeremias Gonzalez, File)
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PARIS (AP) -- Decorated Native American veteran Charles Shay has died at age 101 in France.
Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and helped save lives.
Shay’s longtime friend and carer Marie-Pascale Legrand said that Shay died at his home on Wednesday in Bretteville-L'Orgueilleuse in France's Normandy region.
Shay was from the Penobscot tribe and from Indian Island in Maine. He was awarded the Silver Star for repeatedly plunging into the sea and carrying critically wounded soldiers to relative safety. He also received France's highest award, the Legion of Honor, in 2007.
