Behind the bust for Charles Shay.

The turtle sculpture, unveiled in 2017, is a sacred animal in the Penobscot tradition, representing wisdom and longevity. Many Indigenous people refer to North America as Turtle Island. It also is the animal Shay chose as a little boy to be his personal Penobscot animal. Sculpted by his nephew Tim, the park’s turtle looks out over the Atlantic, with its head turned west towards Indian Island, Maine, home of the Penobscot Nation, where Shay lives. Attached on the front side of the base is a plaque explaining this sculpture.

Shay served as a combat medic during World War II and was present at the storming of the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He is credited with saving the lives of a number of soldiers, pulling them from the sea, and saving them from drowning. He also treated fallen soldiers at the battles of Aachen, Huertgen Forest, and the Battle of the Bulge, and was held as a prisoner of war by German forces until being freed on April 12, 1945.

On the plaque:

The turtle, who carries Mother Earth, on her back, symbolizes longevity for many Native American tribes and is also used in Native Americans' artistic creativity.

This turtle, named « Scarlett », has been carved by Penobscot artist Tim Shay, Charles Shay's nephew.

It honors all Native American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on June 6th 1944 and is looking west, towards the Penobscot reservation in Maine/USA.

This granite sculpture was unveiled on June 5th 2017 by Charles Norman Shay, 1st ID, who served as combat medic in an assault platoon storming Omaha beach on D-Day.