He was a powerful swimmer and towed the raft for somewhere between six and eight hours throughout the night, until a landing craft discovered and rescued them. There is no way a man with a set of brass balls the size of what PO1 French possessed could float, let alone tow a raft. His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service. Willie Johnson, the youngest person to receive the Medal of Honor, is also the youngest person to receive the medal. The story of Frenchs bravery was celebrated at the time but then largely forgotten for decades. In cases where you shop at Amazon for example you are encouraged to use our links anytime you shop there. French would go on to earn the name "The Human Tugboat" and garner immense respect from his fellow military peers. The VSC NAACP is in full support of Thomass campaign. Charles Jackson French, an African American orphan, and championship-caliber swimmer navigated shark infested waters for about eight hours during. A pool used to train rescue swimmers at Naval Base San Diego also was named in Frenchs honor at the ceremony. While the sailors in the life raft were off the burning ship, they were still in deep trouble. Or even going back to the 90s when a lot of this (blacks finally getting the awards they deserve) started to happen. He also had a passion for gardening and was an avid reader. As the 10th State Command Chief Master Sergeant of the Virginia Air National Guard, I take great personal pride in supporting French and Millers application for the Medal of Honor. When the sailors were rescued, the Master at Arms attempted to separate French from the men he had just saved. A little more than a week after Thomas first called the Senators office, Kaine wrote letters to President Joe Biden concerning Miller and French. sliewer@owh.com; twitter.com/Steve Liewer. 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. 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. Ensign Adrian fought for French to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroic rescue. Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content. The Chicago Defender named him Hero of the Year. 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. Charles Jackson French was born in 1919 and grew up in Foreman, Arkansas. Mrs. Thomas requests the Medal of Honor for the following Black Veterans: More than 3500 Medals of Honor have been given out to date, according to the National Medal of Honor Museum, however, less than 100 of those recipients are African-American. And while were at it can we please award Alwyn Cashes family his much deserved MOH.please. 6001 Dodge Street, His wife, Linda, called the event just awesome., It makes you want to cry, she said. 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. In this story can be found the heretofore-unwritten chapters of one phase of the Negroes march toward freedom in America, written by a man who participated in it. Navy officials escorted members of Frenchs family to his gravesite at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, on San Diegos Point Loma peninsula. 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. Soon after, a bill passed the Nebraska legislature to name an Omaha post office for him. Please subscribe to keep reading. This petition starter stood up and took action. There is a campaign requesting a Congressional Medal of Honor is awarded to French. For generations, those of us native to the South have taken great pride in our heritage, our traditions, and in the telling of our stories. Inaction has been a great injustice to the goodly Sergeants bravery and sacrifice, for him and his Troops. If the Navy and Marine Corps Medal is appropriate for Frenchs action, and by any objective measure it would be, then he ought to get the Navy Cross of MOH. His bravery and selfless devotion to duty will always be remembered and serve as an example to all who serve in the United States military. French tied a line to himself and swam for more than two hours without rest, thus attempting to tow the raft. The waters were shark-infested. He was awarded both the Army and Navy Medal of Honor, the French Mdaille militaire and Croix de Guerre as well as decorations from Italy, Montenegro and Portugal. The Chicago Defender named him Hero of the Year. He was a generous and kind soul who was always willing to lend a helping hand. A letter of commendation? I guess Pedo Joe has already forgotten about Alwyn Cashe. The Color of Water: A Black Mans Tribute to His White Mother. 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. The bravery that he demonstrated serves as a reminder of the sacrifices that can be made at any age. This man did as much if not more than a medic often does to save 15 of his comrades from capture, while being actively shelled, in shark infested waters. (H.R. Keith Station, deputy chief of staff for diversity, equity, & inclusion for the City of Omaha, shares remarks at the Hero of the Heartland event. 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. UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, spoke at the event, pointing to how his actions can inspire us all to be heroes in our own way. 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. In 1945, when Congress began reviewing the record of the most conspicuous acts of courage by American soldiers during World War II, they recommended awarding the Medal of Honor to 432 recipients. The waters were shark-infested. The nation's hierarchy denied French the Medal of Honor and did not consider him for a Silver Star, two of the highest honors bestowed for such self-sacrificing bravery. Calls to recognize black WWII hero shed light on feat of heroism, Omaha-native Charles Jackson French is credited with saving his entire crew while serving in the U.S. Navy. The first was an enlistment was in 1937 when he served four years before receiving an honorable discharge in 1941. Charles Jackson French died in 1956 and is buried in Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California. After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. They were spotted and rescued by friendly forces when racism reared its ugly head. Navy Chief of Information Rear Adm. Charles Brown retweeted the post, thanking Nance for highlighting Frenchs heroic story and promising to work with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday to see whether the service could do anything more to recognize the sailor. French was hailed as the hero of the Solomons and the Human Tugboat for his daring rescue of the Pacific during World War II. He remembers meeting his uncle during World War II just after the famous rescue and being inspired to learn to swim. 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. He swam six to eight hours in shark-infested waters before being rescued by marines on a navy landing craft. Adrian also recommended him for a Navy Cross, the Navys second-highest award for valor, but he received only a letter of commendation. 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. You can read more about the Virginia NAACPs work and our six Game Changer issue areas by visiting NAACPVA.org. Dorie Miller is the most well-known African American hero of World War II. After tying him off, French swam through shark infested waters for 6-8 hours until an American landing craft found 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. He was also featured in a 1943 comic book and was honored at halftime during a Creighton University football game. Her husband, Floyd, has served on the Caroline Board of Supervisors for. It is not necessary to purchase the item in the link. During World War II Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French swam 68 hours in shark-infested waters near Guadalcanal while towing a life raft with 15 USS Gregory survivors of an attack by the Japanese Imperial Navy. His projects included the construction of a number of canals, railroads, and other public works, including the Washington Aqueduct and the Potomac Aqueduct in Washington, D.C. Charles Jackson Frenchs work was instrumental in the development of the modern infrastructure that we rely on today. Within days, French, 22, reenlisted. The Virginia NAACP is anticipating their favorable response. Copyrighted content researched and produced by DragonDen Productions ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Chester French, nephew of Charles Jackson French, shares remarks at the Hero of the Heartland event. Correction: This story has been corrected to state that the bill passed by the Senate was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon. Im proud we could come together to recognize his legacy of service and sacrifice.. You have permission to edit this article. He had just saved made at any age traditions of the Solomons and the Human Tugboat for his rescue. 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