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Charles Shay [detail from video]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
  • Location of Service: European Theater; France; Germany; Austria; Camp Pickett, Virginia; Fort Benjamin Harris, Indiana; Stalag 6-G
  • Highest Rank: Private First Class
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/85252

View full service history

"The water was red with blood from dead and wounded" (Video interview, 33:51)

A Penobscot Indian from Maine, Charles Norman Shay was drafted into the Army in 1943 and assigned to combat medic duty with the 1st Infantry Division. On D-Day, he waded through chest-high water to get to Omaha Beach, and began treating men immediately after he made it to the sand. When Shay saw that the tide was rising fast, he started evacuating injured soldiers struggling to get to higher ground. After taking part in the Battles of Hürtgen Forest and the Bulge, he was captured by the Germans in late March 1945, and liberated the following month. Shay was awarded the Silver Star and the French Légion d'Honneur for his heroic efforts on D-Day.

Interview / Recording

About this Item

Title

  • Charles Norman Shay Collection

Names

  • Shay, Charles Norman
  • Van Buren, Michael
  • Central Connecticut State University
  • McGuckin, Briana

Home State

  • Maine

Headings

  • -  Shay, Charles Norman
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • American Indian and Alaskan Native

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division
    • Location of Service: European Theater; France; Germany; Austria; Camp Pickett, Virginia; Fort Benjamin Harris, Indiana; Stalag 6-G
    • Highest Rank: Private First Class
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1945
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Dates of Service: 1946-1952
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2010-07-24)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2010-07-24)
  • Photograph: Digital print [3 items] -- Photograph (collected 1950-2007)
  • Computer File: CD [1 item] -- Multiple types of electronic files (collected 2010-06-24)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/85252

Cite as

  • Charles Norman Shay Collection (AFC/2001/001/85252), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Shay, Charles Norman, Michael Van Buren, Central Connecticut State University, and Briana McGuckin. Charles Norman Shay Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85252/.

APA citation style:

Shay, C. N., Van Buren, M., Central Connecticut State University & McGuckin, B. (1943) Charles Norman Shay Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85252/.

MLA citation style:

Shay, Charles Norman, et al. Charles Norman Shay Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.85252/>.