Chester French, nephew of Charles Jackson French, shares remarks at the Hero of the Heartland event. Charles Jackson French, a Black Navy swimmer and petty officer finally gets recognition for his courage to save his White teammates during World War II. His story was largely forgotten until Bruce Wigo, a former director of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, unearthed it several years ago. Generations of Sailors will train [at the pool] and never forget the values and legacy of such a brave American hero.. On November 7, 1956, in San Diego, California, Charles Jackson French, 37 at the time, died. Born in a small town in California, Charles was a man of many talents. I got the hell scared outta me, French told Chester Wright, author of the 2009 book Black Men and Blue Water, in an interview after the Korean War. French was an African American serving at a time when prejudice and discrimination were ever-present in our Armed Forces and society, said Capt. This cartoon by Black artist Charles Alston for the U.S. Office of War Information celebrates the wartime valor of Charles Jackson French and two other Black sailors, Doris "Dorrie" Miller and Ervin Bell. A 1943 "True Comics" account of the valor of Charles Jackson French after his ship was sunk at Guadalcanal. German prisoners of war were allowed to ride with White soldiers while the Black fighters were relegated to open, drafty, smelly cattle cars. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it. As one of the survivors, French found himself in the water on a life raft. Charles Jackson French is another unsung Black veteran who demonstrated extreme heroism after his ship was attacked in the early morning of September 5, 1942. According to the U.S. Navy Press Office, French had moved to Omaha from Arkansas, but re-enlisted in the Navy days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Both Miller and French have been highly decorated for their service, but Thomas wants to see them awarded the top honor. U.S. Navy Capt. He deserves at least the Navy Cross. I was happy to see that, as an American Black man, (French) got recognized.. Despite the fact that more than one million African Americans served, not a single Black soldier received the Medal of Honor. The Color of Water: A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother. A Change.org petition also was started Monday, urging Congress and President Joe Biden to posthumously award French the Medal of Honor. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. This to the scientific notationed! This button displays the currently selected search type. You are now armed with knowledge, but for a deeper dive, continue to scroll down and watch amazing videos of French and books to allow for greater understanding. I say MOH. Perhaps it was that he wasnt considered to be in combat. French was a swimmer who performed a heroic act that gave others another chance at life. 1 of 5. French, a Black man from Foreman, Arkansas, worked as a mess attendant on a destroyer transport ship named the USS Gregory, according to a 1943 Associated Press article. Award of a Medal of Honor would require congressional intervention, but award of a Navy Cross or a Navy and Marine Corps Medal would not. Inaction has been a great injustice to the goodly Sergeants bravery and sacrifice, for him and his Troops. It only took 3 minutes for the ship to sink. French was a swimmer who performed a heroic act that gave others another chance at life. French saved. This is his jaw-dropping story. Its wonderful news that legislation to recognize Charles Jackson Frenchs incredible heroism is headed to the presidents desk, Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer, who had introduced companion legislation in the Senate, said in a statement. His work has been featured in psfk.com, foxsports.com, politicususa.com and hillreporter.com. His heroism was recognized in popular culture, though. This is the story of the Stewards, Cooks and Messboys who manned that branch of naval service. You must know this HERO Charles Jackson French, Charles Jackson French survived the destruction of the USS Gregory and then swam for hours dragging a life raft full of his shipmates through Shark infested waters. Eric Ewing, executive director of the Great Plains Black History Museum, shares remarks at the Hero of the Heartland event. Sergeant Major Ernest August Janson (August 17, 1878 - May 14, 1930) was a United States Marine who was highly decorated for his heroic actions in World War I. We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. Charles Jackson French (on stage, not pictured) led a crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance at the Omaha Auditorium on Nov. 11, 1942, during the city's largest Armistice Day observance since the end of World War I 24 years earlier. We, the undersigned, call upon Congress and the President of the United States to correct this travesty and give Petty Officer French the recognition he deserved for his selfless act of bravery. In the end, there were fifteen additional sailors on the raft with the mess attendant. Retroactive to 7 December 1941, the criteria and procedure for award of the medal were likely not yet formalized when word of Frenchs heroics came in. Ted Carlson, commander of Naval Base San Diego. These posts focus on the reality of Black life in America after the Civil War culminating in the landmark Brown v Board of Education that changed so many of the earlier practices. Charles Jackson French, a Black Navy swimmer and petty officer finally gets recognition for his courage to save his White teammates during World War II. Charles Jackson (MEng, DIS, MINCOSE) Expand search. When he is not sitting in front of a laptop, Todd enjoys soaking up everything the Jersey Shore has to offer with his wife, two sons and American Foxhound, Wally. It is the services 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. French became famous after his commander, Ensign Robert Adrian, told the story on a radio program broadcast across the country. The inaugural Hero of the Heartland event, hosted by UNOs Office of Multicultural Affairs and UNOs Military-Connected Resource Center, honored a World War II hero whose acts have been largely forgotten for decades. Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French was an American hero who gave his life in service of his country. The event, held Feb. 9, 2023 in UNO's Milo Bail Student Center, honored Petty Officer 1 st Class Charles Jackson French for his tremendous bravery and efforts in World War II. French finished a four-year Navy tour in November 1941 and was visiting family in Omaha when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. U.S. Navy sailor Charles Jackson French saved 15 shipmates by dragging a life raft through shark-infested waters after the Japanese sank the USS Gregory in 1942. . www.epmcknight.wixsite.epfitspiration Follow me: Tiktok, imdb.me/epmcknight. A Black sailor swam against sharks to save his White shipmates. Maybe they can stop naming warships after politicians and go back to naming them after actual heroes? The injustices of 1940s Jim Crow America are brought to life in this extraordinary blend of military and social history, an account that pays tribute to the valor of an all-black battalion whose crucial contributions at D-day have gone unrecognized to this day. If they floated ashore, an ensign on the raft later said, they would be taken as prisoners of war, according to an article on the International Swimming Hall of Fames website. It read: For meritorious conduct in action while serving on board of a destroyer transport which was badly damaged during the engagement with Japanese forces in the British Solomon Islands on September 5, 1942. While the sailors in the life raft were off the burning ship, they were still in deep trouble. French volunteered to tow the raft to another island that was safer, however, these were shark infested waters and those on board the raft attempted to talk French out of the mission, but he believed that death by shark would at least be quick and merciful. 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. Social media posts over the weekend began highlighting the story of Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French of Foreman, Arkansas, who became a national hero after the destroyer Gregory was sunk Sept. 5, 1942, by Japanese warships near Guadalcanal. Thomas has also been in communication with other senators and members of Congress asking them to support this effort. Dismiss. Todd Neikirk is a New Jersey-based politics, entertainment and history writer. The story of Charles Jackson French's World War II valor was told and retold, especially in Black newspapers. Miller received the Navy Cross (the second-highest award for combat valor) and Bell received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (the highest award for noncombat heroism). The omission remained on the record for more than four decades. Messman Charles French became a hero to his shipmates after their destroyer USS Gregory (DD-82) was sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy ships on 5 September 1942. The Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest award for heroism not in combat and the non-combat equivalent of the Navy Cross, had only been created by executive order a month before Frenchs actions. Charles Jackson French was a Navy Mess Specialist 1st Class Petty Officer the night the USS Gregory (APD 3) was sunk by Japanese destroyers during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Military.com reports; A movement is gaining steam to recognize a heroic Black sailor from World War II, who towed a raftload of wounded shipmates through shark-infested waters after their ship was sunk in 1942. During this time, the military followed the segregation laws that were prevalent in the nation. Born in a small town in California, Charles was a man of many talents. Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French was an American hero who gave his life in service of his country. The Arkansas native had moved to Omaha to live with his sister as a youth after his parents died, and he became one of the most famous Black war heroes of the 1940s. The mess attendant died in 1956 at only 37 years of age. On September 5, 1942, U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French navigated through shark-infested waters with a rope around his waist, towing 15 wounded sailors to safety from. His family was presented with a posthumous Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and a swimming pool used for training at the Naval Base San Diego was dedicated in his honor in May 2022. This request was also forwarded to the National NAACP office asking for a resolution to be adopted. During World War I he served under the name Charles F. Hoffman. The award was presented on May 21, 2022, at Naval Base San Diego, at a ceremony in which the bases rescue swimmer training pool was dedicated in his honor. The event was held as part of events hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs in observance of Black History Month. During the attack on the USS Gregory, a destroyer, he was aboard in 1943. ** Took the thoughts right outa my head SFC D. And if the shark had of tried to bite this Hero in those big brass ones, the shark woulda broke off a few teeth. [2] One member of the 320th would be nominated for the Medal of Honor, an award he would never receive because the nations highest decoration was not given to black soldiers in World War II. Charles Jackson French was born in 1919 and grew up in Foreman, Arkansas. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has continued its advocacy work in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 1935 through the Virginia State Conference. Roughly 15 survivors of the Gregory, some injured, were gathered in a life raft. 2023 A Month of Tribute to 31 Women We Should All Know, Rosewood A Typical Race Riot in America. To see these posts, click this link, For Womens History Month 2022 we featured 31 amazing Black women we should all know. sliewer@owh.com; twitter.com/Steve Liewer. Benjamin Selph echoed Lis remarks, encouraging those in attendance to take inspiration from Frenchs courageous act. You can read more about the Virginia NAACPs work and our six Game Changer issue areas by visiting NAACPVA.org. To see the posts, click here. A Black sailor swam against sharks to save his White shipmates. USA Swimming honored him at the finals of the 2021 Swim Trials in June. French was memorialized on War gum trading cards and in a comic strip. A man willing to fight in defense of his country. Jobs People Learning Dismiss Dismiss. For Black History Month 2022 we focused on Health and Wellness in the Black Community. He was recognized locally in September 2022 with the renaming of a Benson post office in his honor. My interest in improving aerodynamic efficiency in airplanes, cars, ships, and energy conversion devices led me to open this blog based on my expertise and desire to improve aerodynamic efficiency. French, who moved to Omaha as a teen, first enlisted in the US Navy in 1937. Charles Jackson French is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California. French was hailed as the hero of the Solomons and the Human Tugboat for his daring rescue of the Pacific during World War II. . Their orders were to man a curtain of armed balloons meant to deter enemy aircraft. Follow him on Twitter @SteveLiewer. Soon Frenchs name will be immortalized in Omaha, too. Or even going back to the 90s when a lot of this (blacks finally getting the awards they deserve) started to happen. In June 2022, the President Joe Biden, signed into law (H.R.4168) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6223 Maple Street, in Omaha, Nebraska, as the Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office. https://chng.it/F8y8w5n2 via @Change There are some that estimated the time at two hours but in any case, it was a tremendous physical act of courage, keeping in mind that the enemy was still searching for them with the intent of killing them. Virginia State Conference NAACP, Doris (Dorie) Miller, is a Black veteran, who demonstrated such dedication to his duty on December 7, 1941, when his ship was attacked in Pearl Harbor, Doris Miller showed little regard for his safety when he dragged his wounded captain and several shipmates to safety before manning an anti-aircraft gun that he had never been trained to use, and brought down several Japanese planes, but was not recommended for the Medal of Honor. But his story will be told during a ga, A Virginia woman is trying an unconventional approach to secure the Medal of Honor for two WWII heroes, including Charles Jackson French, who , The University of Nebraska at Omaha honored a long-unsung World War II hero once lauded as a human tugboat during a Black History Month even, Metropolitan Community College is seeking to take over a Marine Corps facility next to its Fort Omaha campus for future expansion. 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In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a unit of African American soldiers, landed on the beaches of France. His own father served in the war, too. Willie Johnson, the youngest person to receive the Medal of Honor, is also the youngest person to receive the medal. He was a talented carpenter, a skilled handyman, and a master of DIY projects. It will inspire generations of sailors, he said. The server is misbehaving. Days later, he went down to his local recruitment office and reenlisted. Though the survivors felt French deserved a Medal of Honor or at least a Silver Star, the Swimming Hall of Fame story states, he never received either. We remember Charles Jackson French, winner of the Navy medal, who swam through the Pacific after his vessel sunk in WWII. The publication for writers and readers to create and read amazing content, Actress, Stage playwright, Author, Motivational Speaker, Teacher Fitness Coach. After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces. Charles Jackson French died in 1956 and is buried in Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California. Join now . Charles Jackson French was discharged from the Navy on Nov. 13, 1941, but reenlisted a month later after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Navy dedicated a pool there to French. Nothing of value. Read the full statement. Although he demonstrated extreme bravery, instead of the Medal of Honor, all French received was a nice letter from the U. S. Navy. If the latter, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal might have been the most apropos award. French was also the only African American to appear on World War II patriotic trading cards issued by GUM, Inc. That led to recognition during the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials held in Omaha in 2021. During World War II, he served as a U.S. sailor. (H.R. There was a problem saving your notification. He went into the service as a mess attendant, the only rate then available to a Black man. Gregory near the Solomon Islands. Thats when French a 22-year-old sailor in the racially segregated messman branch volunteered to tow them to safety, the article states. In time it was learned that Charles Jackson French stood 5'8" tall and weighed 195 pounds. French served aboard the USS Houston for four years before returning to Omaha. Future Hero of the Heartland events may be held during other heritage months to celebrate heroes among a broad array of diverse ethnic groups. 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. His story was retold in comic strips and trading cards, and he traveled the country to help sell war bonds before enthusiastic crowds. The rescued men angrily reacted to this decision, threatening a fight if it wasnt reversed. I think I would lean toward Medal of Honor just based on what I read here, but Im sure the details would sway me one way or the other. towing a boat of wounded survivors by himself i.imgur.com/P1mQDe. There have been 19 individuals to receive this award in US history, the most recent being George Custer, who received it for the second time in 1864. Kind of sounds like it. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mothers past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color of Water: A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother. He was 37 years old when he died on November 7, 1956, in San Diego, California. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he noted that part of his job is to make sure that our veterans receive the recognition they deserve for their courage and dedication to our country. www.epmcknight.wixsite.epfitspiration Follow me: Tiktok, imdb.me/epmcknight. To see the posts, click here. For Black History Month 2021, we focused on Black Medical Achievements, Inventors and Scientists.To see those posts, click here. When the sailors were rescued, the Master at Arms attempted to separate French from the men he had just saved. American sailors attempted to separate French from the men he had rescued, but they rebelled, and the American sailors relented. On Thursday, a billto 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. Lets get this HERO the Medal of Honor, Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-days Black Heroes, at Home and at War. Miller wasnt the only African-American hero of World War II, though. It is the service's highest award for noncombat heroism . Charles Denver Barger (June 3, 1892 - November 25, 1936) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War I.He earned the medal while serving as a Chauchat automatic rifle gunner during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, when he and another soldier, Jesse N. Funk, entered no man's land despite . He was a talented carpenter, a skilled handyman, and a master of DIY projects. Her husband, Floyd, has served on the Caroline Board of Supervisors for. Please subscribe to keep reading. But French said he wasnt afraid. On May 21, 2022, a dedication ceremony for the bases rescue swimmer training pool in Frenchs honor was held at Naval Base San Diego, during which the award was presented. Use our links to Amazon anytime you shop Amazon. 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. He remembers meeting his uncle during World War II just after the famous rescue and being inspired to learn to swim. He deserves a higher award, and a destroyer named in his honor. This is the story of Charles Jackson French, who rescued several soldiers during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Little is known of his earliest days. French was memorialized on War gum trading cards and in a comic strip. Proclamations naming the Benson post office in his uncle's honor are featured on easels in front of the stage. He quickly went to work pulling other sailors aboard with him. This blog was created to share a passion for all things Southern. Adrian also recommended him for a Navy Cross, the Navys second-highest award for valor, but he received only a letter of commendation. Since they were taking direct fire, Id feel the Navy Cross the more appropriate of the two. Dismiss. The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. Weeks later, he told the story of a heroic mess attendant named "French" who towed a raft full of about 15 wounded sailors including Adrian all night through shark-filled waters until they were rescued. Charles Jackson French saved 15 men from the USS Gregory in September of 1942. This post office renaming is important to his family, the community of Omaha, and the state of Nebraska. Tucked away from Asheville, North Carolina's busy [Read More] about The Little Mountain Escape-The Biltmore House, As a youngster studying American History, we [Read More] about A Hero, Virtually Unknown to History, Was a Vital Part of Our Nations Independence, Copyright 2023 TheSouthern.Life Site design by: weblotech.com, about The Little Mountain Escape-The Biltmore House, about A Hero, Virtually Unknown to History, Was a Vital Part of Our Nations Independence, Read the story of Paul Bolden, Medal of Honor recipient from Alabama, Read the story of John Pruitt, WWI recipient of two Medals of Honor, The Little Mountain Escape-The Biltmore House, A Hero, Virtually Unknown to History, Was a Vital Part of Our Nations Independence. A small town in California, Charles was a talented carpenter, a skilled,! Also forwarded to the National NAACP office asking for a Navy Cross, the Navy,... Benjamin Selph echoed Lis remarks, encouraging those in attendance to take inspiration from Frenchs act. 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