80 years later, Omaha hero who swam in shark-infested waters receives Navy honor

Omaha hailed hometown hero Charles Jackson French back in 1942, when the African American mess steward saved the lives of his shipmates after their destroyer was sunk in the World War II battle of the Solomon Islands.

Now, 80 years later, the Navy is finally catching up.

Rear Adm. Charles Brown presented eight of French’s relatives with a posthumous Navy and Marine Corps Medal on May 21 in San Diego. It is the service’s highest award for noncombat heroism — and the same award presented to Lt. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the future U.S. president, for bravery under similar circumstances during World War II.

The award was presented during a ceremony in which a pool used for training Navy rescue swimmers at Naval Base San Diego was renamed in French’s honor.

People are also reading…

“I was elated,” said Chester French Jr. of Omaha, Charles’ nephew, who attended along with several other French family members.

His wife, Linda, called the event “just awesome.”

“It makes you want to cry,” she said. “It took so long.”

Soon French’s name will be immortalized in Omaha, too. On Thursday, a bill sponsored by Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer to rename the Benson postal facility at 6223 Maple St. the “Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office” cleared the Senate by a unanimous vote.

A similar bill cleared the House of Representatives in March.

“It’s wonderful news that legislation to recognize Charles Jackson French’s incredible heroism is headed to the president’s desk,” Fischer said in a statement. “This post office renaming is important to his family, the community of Omaha, and the state of Nebraska. I’m proud we could come together to recognize his legacy of service and sacrifice.”

French had been hailed as “the hero of the Solomon Islands“ after the sinking of his ship, the USS Gregory, on Sept. 5, 1942, near Guadalcanal. The Navy mess attendant was credited with swimming for several hours through shark-infested waters while towing a lifeboat filled with wounded shipmates, all of whom were White, until they could be rescued.

French became famous after his commander, Ensign Robert Adrian, told the story on a radio program broadcast across the country. Adrian also recommended him for a Navy Cross, the Navy’s second-highest award for valor, but he received only a letter of commendation.

His heroism was recognized in popular culture, though. In addition to newspaper and radio accounts, his story was told in bubble gum cards, comic strips, a calendar, even a verse by a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.

In Omaha, French was honored at a Creighton University football game and was selected to lead a crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance at an Armistice Day (now called Veterans Day) event.

French was born in Arkansas in 1919, but moved to Omaha as a youth to live with his married older sister, Viola. He enlisted in the Navy in 1937 and became a mess attendant, one of the few military jobs open to African Americans in the segregated U.S. armed forces of that era.

French stayed in the military until the end of the war, then took a civilian job with the Navy in San Diego. He died in 1956, at age 37, of depression and alcoholism from untreated post-traumatic stress, family members say.

His story was largely forgotten until Bruce Wigo, a former director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, unearthed it several years ago. It was amplified on social media in spring 2021, prompting USA Swimming to honor him during the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha last June.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., had written a letter to the acting secretary of the Navy a year ago, asking for a review of French’s file to determine whether he had received the proper awards.

That inquiry helped bring about last week’s award ceremony. Several San Diego Navy leaders spoke.

“French was an African American serving at a time when prejudice and discrimination were ever-present in our Armed Forces and society,” said Capt. Ted Carlson, commander of Naval Base San Diego, “which makes this recognition of Charles (Jackson) French’s heroic actions even more significant.”

Another of French’s nephews, 89-year-old Roscoe Harris of Omaha, also attended, along with two of his own sons and three of his grandsons.

He remembers meeting his uncle during World War II just after the famous rescue and being inspired to learn to swim. His own father served in the war, too.

“I’ve always felt glad to be a proud American,” Harris said. “I was happy to see that, as an American Black man, (French) got recognized.”

Brown noted that, with French’s name and photo attached to the Navy pool, his story will be told well into the future.

“It will inspire generations of sailors,” he said. “It’s a story of the best of who we are.”

#lee-rev-content { margin:0 -5px; } #lee-rev-content h3 { font-family: inherit!important; font-weight: 700!important; border-left: 8px solid var(–lee-blox-link-color); text-indent: 7px; font-size: 24px!important; line-height: 24px; } #lee-rev-content .rc-provider { font-family: inherit!important; } #lee-rev-content h4 { line-height: 24px!important; font-family: “serif-ds”,Times,”Times New Roman”,serif!important; margin-top: 10px!important; } @media (max-width: 991px) { #lee-rev-content h3 { font-size: 18px!important; line-height: 18px; } }

#pu-email-form-daily-email-article { clear: both; background-color: #fff; color: #222; background-position: bottom; background-repeat: no-repeat; padding: 15px 0 20px; margin-bottom: 40px; border-top: 4px solid rgba(0,0,0,.8); border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.2); display: none; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article, #pu-email-form-daily-email-article p { font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, “Apple Color Emoji”, “Segoe UI Emoji”, “Segoe UI Symbol”; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article h1 { font-size: 24px; margin: 15px 0 5px 0; font-family: “serif-ds”, Times, “Times New Roman”, serif; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article .lead { margin-bottom: 5px; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article .email-desc { font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 5px; opacity: 0.7; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article form { padding: 10px 30px 5px 30px; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article .disclaimer { opacity: 0.5; margin-bottom: 0; line-height: 100%; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article .disclaimer a { color: #222; text-decoration: underline; } #pu-email-form-daily-email-article .email-hammer { border-bottom: 3px solid #222; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; padding: 0 10px 5px 10px; margin-bottom: -5px; font-size: 16px; } @media (max-width: 991px) { #pu-email-form-daily-email-article form { padding: 10px 0 5px 0; } }

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *