For 16-year-old Amara Francis, April 19 is a day that she has filed away in her mind as one that moved her deeply.
It was the day she met Charles Shay, a decorated World War II and Korean War veteran who hails from the Penobscot Nation tribe like she does, at a restaurant in Normandy, France.
In June 1944, Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army combat medic. He is credited with saving the lives of soldiers during the storming of the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Now he is 99.
A dinner with Shay was part of a World War II-themed trip to Europe that Francis and 37 of her peers from Old Town High School took last month. It was the first international trip of what Christina Turner hopes will be many more for students at Regional School Unit 34.
Turner, who has taught social studies at the school for the past seven years, began planning the trip in September 2022. She got the green light from the school board later that year.
If the board’s support continues, she hopes to travel with students to a different location every two years. Turner imagines trips to Rome, Greece and the Galapagos Islands because they are relevant to their lessons at school and get them “out of the classroom and into the real world,” she said.
During their April break, students visited museums and famous sites in London, Normandy and Paris, but dining with Shay was arguably the most unforgettable part. June 6 marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, known as the largest seaborne invasion in military history.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Shay reflected on the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation, including the moment his friend died in his arms.
“I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to,” he told the news agency.
Francis, who is a junior, was moved to tears when she saw the bronze bust of Shay at the Charles Shay Indian Memorial at Omaha Beach. The park also features a turtle sculpture made by Shay’s nephew, Tim Shay. The turtle, a sacred animal in the Penobscot tradition, points toward Indian Island, where Francis grew up hearing stories about Shay’s heroism and role as a tribal elder.
Francis recalled experiencing many “hard emotions” as she walked the beaches of Normandy. For her, the day was about reflecting on the historic events that once unfolded there and how Shay saved wounded soldiers from drowning in the sea.
His actions earned him a Silver Star. He also earned France’s Legion of Honor in 2007.
“There were tribes that sent people away not knowing whether they would return,” Francis said. “People were out there fighting for a country that didn’t recognize them yet, but they were willing to do whatever it took to clear that beach.”
Shay mostly stayed quiet during the dinner with students, but Marie-Pascale Legrand, a French woman who has helped care for him since he moved from Maine to Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, a French town in the Normandy region, told his story. She also wrote a book about his life, “Spirits are guiding,” which will be released this month, the AP reported.
Shay was taken prisoner by German forces in March 1945 and liberated a few weeks later. After the war, he reenlisted in the military, and he landed in North Korea in 1950. He received several honors for his work as a medic during World War II and the Korean War.
It’s one thing to hear about Shay’s heroic actions, but to shake his hand and thank him was surreal, senior Wyatt Vickers said. He also got Shay’s signature.
Vickers felt it was evident, just by the way Shay carried himself, that he had lived through so much history, the student said. “I have so much respect for that man,” Vickers added.
Seeing thousands of “white crosses and stars of David grave sites as far as the eye can see” at the Normandy American Cemetery also touched the 18-year-old.
“The energy there was really powerful. It was hard to grasp,” he said.
Students visited Winston Churchill’s underground war rooms, the Royal Air Force Museum, the Eiffel Tower and Napoleon’s tomb, among other sites, during their trip. Turner believes that by exposing students to new places, cultures and foods, they will have a greater appreciation for the world, including its history, she said.
When it came time to part ways with Shay, students filed into a line without prompting from chaperones, knelt down to look him in the eyes and shook his hand. It was a proud moment for an educator who works with a population that some see as self-involved but have shown how thoughtful they can be, Turner said.
“I think they all felt, like I did, that this was a gift,” she said. “I could live to be his age and never, ever forget it.”
