Charles Jackson French: Difference between revisions
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==Meritorious conduct in action== |
==Meritorious conduct in action== |
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During [[World War II]],<ref name="Swimming World">[https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/black-swimming-history-a-world-war-ii-hero/ Black Swimming History: Forgotten Hero of WWII] Bruce Wigo, ''Swimming World'', 5 February 2018</ref> [[Petty Officer First Class]] French swam 6–8 hours in [[shark]]-infested waters near [[Guadalcanal]] while towing a [[life raft]] with 15 [[USS Gregory (DD-82)|USS Gregory]] survivors of an attack by the [[Japanese Imperial Navy]].<ref name="ishof">[https://ishof.org/assets/charles-jackson-french_article.pdf The story of Charles Jackson French] Bruce Wigo</ref> |
During [[World War II]],<ref name="Swimming World">[https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/black-swimming-history-a-world-war-ii-hero/ Black Swimming History: Forgotten Hero of WWII] Bruce Wigo, ''Swimming World'', 5 February 2018</ref> [[Petty Officer First Class]] French swam 6–8 hours in [[shark]]-infested waters near [[Guadalcanal]] while towing a [[life raft]] with 15 [[USS Gregory (DD-82)|USS Gregory]] survivors of an attack by the [[Japanese Imperial Navy]].<ref name="ishof">[https://ishof.org/assets/charles-jackson-french_article.pdf The story of Charles Jackson French] Bruce Wigo</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wigo|first=Bruce|title=The Story of Charles Jackson French|url=https://ishof.org/assets/charles-jackson-french_article.pdf|url-status=live|access-date=February 24, 2021|website=ISHOF}}</ref> For this action, French received a letter of commendation from Adm. [[William F. Halsey, Jr.]] in May 1943.<ref name="ishof" /> Adm. Halsey was then commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-02|title=How Charles French swam eight hours in shark waters to save 15 U.S sailors in WWII|url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/how-charles-french-swam-eight-hours-in-shark-waters-to-save-15-u-s-sailors-in-wwii|access-date=2021-02-24|website=Face2Face Africa|language=en}}</ref> The commendation stated: |
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| ⚫ | <blockquote>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. After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces. French tied a line to himself and swam for more than two hours without rest, thus attempting to tow the raft. His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.</blockquote>French was memorialized on War gum trading cards and in a comic strip. [[The Chicago Defender]] named him Hero of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-23|title=Remembering a Forgotten World War II Hero|url=https://www.washingtoninformer.com/remembering-a-forgotten-world-war-ii-hero/|access-date=2021-02-24|website=The Washington Informer|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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For this action, French received a letter of commendation from Adm. [[William F. Halsey, Jr.]] in May 1943.<ref name="ishof" /> Adm. Halsey was then commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet. The commendation stated: |
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| ⚫ | <blockquote>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. After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces. French tied a line to himself and swam for more than two hours without rest, thus attempting to tow the raft. His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.</blockquote> |
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==Resting place== |
==Resting place== |
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Revision as of 09:16, 24 February 2021
_in_early_1942.jpg)
Charles Jackson French | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 September 1919 Foreman, Arkansas |
| Died | 7 November 1956 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | War hero |
Charles Jackson French (25 September 1919 - 7 November 1956)[1] was an American war hero from Foreman, Arkansas. He had first enlisted in the United States Navy in 1937[2] and had completed his enlistment, moving to Omaha, Nebraska where he had family. [3] With the attack on Pearl Harbor, French went to the closest recruitment office, and on December 19, 1941, re-enlisted in the United States Navy.[4]
Meritorious conduct in action
During World War II,[2] Petty Officer First Class French swam 6–8 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.[5][6] For this action, French received a letter of commendation from Adm. William F. Halsey, Jr. in May 1943.[5] Adm. Halsey was then commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet.[7] The commendation stated:
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. After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces. French tied a line to himself and swam for more than two hours without rest, thus attempting to tow the raft. His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.
French was memorialized on War gum trading cards and in a comic strip. The Chicago Defender named him Hero of the Year.[8]
Resting place
French is buried at Section N, Grave 490 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.[1]
Early Life
French was an orphan from Foreman, Arkansas [9] who learned to swim in the Red River at the age of eight.[10]
References
- ^ a b Charles Jackson French
- ^ a b Black Swimming History: Forgotten Hero of WWII Bruce Wigo, Swimming World, 5 February 2018
- ^ "Omaha Negro Hero of Ship Disaster," (Columbus, Neb.)Telegram, 23 October 1942, 1; newspapers.com.
- ^ Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. The National Archives at College Park, College Park, Maryland. ancestry.com
- ^ a b The story of Charles Jackson French Bruce Wigo
- ^ Wigo, Bruce. "The Story of Charles Jackson French" (PDF). ISHOF. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "How Charles French swam eight hours in shark waters to save 15 U.S sailors in WWII". Face2Face Africa. 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Remembering a Forgotten World War II Hero". The Washington Informer. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ https://ishof.org/assets/charles-jackson-french_article.pdf
- ^ "Chicago Defender Interviews Navy Hero on Rescues," (Chicago) Defender, 7 Nov 1942, 1