A native American war hero gets the French Legion of honor award
Charles Shay went off to the wars more than 60 years ago and has now returned as a tribal elder, preserving Penobscot history.
from the November 5, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
• • •
After the war, Shay reenlisted and worked in Vienna, still an Army medic. He served in Korea and earned another bronze star, followed by a 1953 stint in the Marshall Islands during Operation Castle: the atomic bomb testing program.
Shay spent most of the next 45 years in Vienna, working for the Atomic Energy Commission. He married an Austrian woman, Lilli, and had a son, Jonny. He is now a grandfather.
Despite so many years living in Europe, Shay had never revisited his own combat sites until last month, when several grants made possible a pilgrimage to France, Belgium, and Germany. He was accompanied by Harald Prins, a Kansas State University scholar of indigenous peoples, and Bunny McBride, a writer who has researched the story of the women in Shay's family.
The trip was bittersweet.
"A lot of men lost their lives fighting for the freedom of Europe," he says. "Some of them probably never even heard of the towns or cities where they died. A lot of these backwoods boys ... they gave their lives for the freedom of the people there."
Reflecting on today's Europe, Shay says, "I'm sorry to see that the US has lost so much respect in Europe. In 1944 and in the 1950s, you were proud to say you were an American, and everyone looked up to you. It's not like that today."
Shay's face glows, however, when he talks about the honor of lowering the flag in a ceremony at the American cemetery in Normandy. He also found the grave marker of Edward Moroseweicz.
"He was a medic attached to 2nd Battalion. We met in England," says Shay. "He was wounded on D-day. I saw him and treated him on the beach ... bandaged his stomach wounds ... gave him morphine.... I had to move on. We said good bye, knowing I probably wouldn't see him again."
Shay also describes his own private observance on the actual beach with a tone of reverence.
"I held a typical native American ceremony, burning sage, tobacco, sweet grass, praying to all four directions," says Shay. "I prayed for their souls.... I remembered my ancestors and my family and tried to console myself that they were all taken care of in the spiritual world – and waiting for me to join them and lead me into their new realm. I'll be greeted by my comrades, ancestors, and family."
The day after his return from Europe last month, Shay was greeted by news of the Legion of Honor award.
Reflecting on that, he says, "A little bit of recognition for things you have done makes you feel good sometimes."
RSS feed
