MAJOR GENERAL JOHN RAAEN
Born the son of an officer on an army base in Georgia, John Raaen had the military in his blood, attending West Point before progressing first to the Engineer Corps and then the newly created 5th Ranger Battalion in 1943.

Supposed to follow on behind the 2nd Rangers tasked with attacking the Pointe du Hoc, delays and miscommunication meant Captain Raaen and members of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalion were sent into Omaha beach instead. Arriving at a slightly less well-defended section of the beach, Raaen and his Rangers were able to break through the German lines, challenging machine gun nests, and helping to slow down the slaughter on the beach below.

On D+1 Raaen began making his way to the Pointe du Hoc where he eventually helped to relieve the troops whom had been held there by German gunfire since the early hours of D-Day. For his first three days service in Normandy, Raeen was awarded the Silver Star.

After the war he went on to rise through the ranks to Major General before retiring in 1979 after 36 years of service.

MASTER SERGEANT CHARLES SHAY
A member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, Charles grew up on their tribal reservation on Indian Island in Maine. In April 1943, he was drafted into the Army and became a 19-year-old platoon medic in F-Company, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, the famed battle hardened “Big Red One”.

On D-Day, Charles was in the first assault wave on Omaha Beach and spent the morning doing whatever he could to ease the suffering of the men around him. As the tide moved in, Charles pulled numerous wounded men to safety, thus saving many lives. He was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery that day.

In battles to follow, Charles would save American lives at Aachen, the Hurtgen Forest, in the Ardennes, and across the Rhine. He was captured when he accompanied a recon patrol that was overwhelmed by German, though he was liberated not long after on April 18, 1945.

After VE-Day, Charles reenlisted in the Army and was stationed in Europe. During the Korean War, he joined the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, as they fought the Chinese in North Korea. There, Charles earned the Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, and a Silver Star nomination. 

Upon returning home, he switched services and became a member of the Air Force’s 6th Weather Squadron. In 1964, Charles retired a Master Sergeant, after twenty years of service, and joined the International Atomic Energy Agency, a role he would stay in until age 60. 

Today, Charles is a tribal elder and remains active in promoting the history of Native Americans who fought in the armed forces. He is a frequent guest at D-Day commemorations in Normandy, where he works tirelessly to keep the memory alive of his fallen brothers in arms.