Overview
- He died Wednesday at his home in Bretteville-L'Orgueilleuse in France’s Normandy region, according to longtime friend and carer Marie-Pascale Legrand.
- At 19, serving as a U.S. Army medic on Omaha Beach, he repeatedly pulled wounded soldiers from the surf, actions that earned the Silver Star.
- France awarded him the Legion of Honor in 2007, and he settled near Normandy in 2018, where he conducted a sage-burning ceremony at a memorial bearing his name.
- The Charles Shay Memorial group shared news of his passing in a Facebook statement honoring his life of service and courage.
- Public tributes in Maine included statements from Gov. Janet Mills and Sen. Susan Collins, who praised his humility and enduring influence.