Ivy In Paris Tourguide

🇫🇷 Vous êtes nombreux à voir les nombreuses plaques commémoratives dans les rues de Paris sans savoir qui se cache derrière chacune d’entre-elles. En ce 80th anniversaire de la libération de Paris voici la plaque du gardien de la paix stagiaire Jean Montauron qui se trouve sur le bâtiment de la préfecture de police. Né le 12 Mai 1923, il est stagiaire à l’école pratique de la police municipale. Fraîchement marié depuis le 29 juillet, il est reconnu FFI le 15 Août 1944. Le 24 Août 1944, il se trouve au combat à la barricade nord ouest de la préfecture de police. Un violent accrochage se déroule avec les troupes allemandes, Jean est atteint par une rafale d’arme automatique allemande. Il est mortellement blessé, déclaré mort pour la France à l’âge de 21 ans il est nommé chevalier de la légion d’honneur.

🇬🇧Many of you see the numerous commemorative plaques in the streets of Paris without knowing who is behind each of them. On this 80th anniversary of the liberation of Paris, here is the plaque of trainee policeman Jean Montauron which is located on the police headquarters building. Born May 12, 1923, he is a trainee at the municipal police practical school. Newly married since July 29, he was recognized as French underground fighter on August 15, 1944. On August 24, 1944, he found himself in combat at the northwest barricade of the police headquarters. A violent skirmish takes place with German troops, Jean is hit by a burst of German automatic weapons. He was mortally wounded, declared dead for France at the age of 21 and was named knight of the Legion of Honor. 🇫🇷 #1944 🇫🇷 Préfecture de Police

🇺🇲WWII uncovered: 🎂 BIRTHDAY EVENT: Happy 100th Birthday to US Army Medic and D-Day Hero Charles Norman Shay of Maine🎂

Please join us at WWII uncovered in wishing Master Sergeant Charles Norman Shay a most Happy 100th Birthday. Charles turns 100 years old today, June 27, 2024. He recently attended the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Commemorations in Normandy.

In honour of Master Sergeant Shay we would like to present the following as a testament to his service during World War II:

"In April of 1943 I myself was drafted into the military and was selected for training as a medical technician with courses in basic surgery. Joining the Medical Detachment of the First Division's 16th Infantry Regiment, I was attached as a platoon medic to Fox Company. Encamped in southern England, this Division had already fought in North Africa and Sicily and was now training for the invasion of German occupied France. Named after our shoulder patch, the Big Red One formed part of a huge armada crossing the Channel on the night of 5-6 June 1944, a date that has become known as D-Day. My company formed part of our regiment's second battalion and as such I served as a combat medic in the first wave of the landing at Omaha Beach. Fox Company suffered enormous casualties, lost all its officers, and was nearly wiped out. Many combat medics were also wounded or killed on that infamous day. Feeling sustained by my mother's prayers, I found the strength to come to the rescue of my fallen comrades wounded by enemy fire and drowning in the rising tide. Like everyone else, I did what I was trained to do. For my service to my comrades on that day, I was awarded the Silver Star. At the time, such a military distinction meant little to me or to comrades similarly decorated. What mattered was survival and winning the war." - Charles Norman Shay, 1st Infantry Division, 16th Infantry Regiment

After taking part in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge, Shay was captured by the Germans in late March 1945, and liberated the following month.

Charles Shay reenlisted and pursued a career as an Air Force medic. He went on to serve in the Korean War and retired from service with the rank of Master Sergeant.

Master Sergeant Shay was honored in 2007 with the Legion d’Honneur and in 2009 Shay successfully lobbied the state of Maine to establish Native American Veterans Day. As an elder member of the Penobscot tribe of Maine, Charles remained in the states until relocating to Normandy France reportedly in 2021.

We wish you the Happiest of Birthdays Charles and honour your lifetime of service. You are and will always be a member of the Greatest Generation. Cheers!!



WWII uncovered©️original description and quotes sourced from Project Omaha Beach by Charles Shay ISBN 978-1-882190-08-9, US Army Center of Military History, Library of Congress Veterans History Project and The Charles Shay website. (Fair Use Photos)