Charles Jackson French swam through shark-infested waters for 6-8 hours pulling a raft of 15 injured soldiers with a rope wrapped around his waist

Charles Jackson French was known as the “hero of the Solomons” and the “Human Tugboat” after his actions during in the Pacific during World War II. Petty Officer 1st Class French and Doris “Dorie” Miller, received the Navy Cross for valor during the attack on the fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,.

Charles French was born on September 25, 1919, in Foreman, Arkansas. After the death of his parents, he moved in with his older sister, Viola, in Omaha, Nebraska. French later enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1937 and served four years. He got an honorable discharge on November 11, 1941, however, he re-enlisted after Pearl Harbor. French was assigned to the mess (kitchen) as an attendant. Along with stevedore and steward, mess attendant was one of the few occupations open to Black men in the navy at the time.

On the evening, September 5, 1942, French was on board the U.S.S. Gregory, a destroyer training ship, when it was sunk by the Japanese navy near the Solomon Islands. After this occurred French helped fifteen wounded survivors from the ship into a life raft. Fearing that the raft would drift toward the shore where Japanese troops were at, French towed the raft of wounded survivors toward a different island. He swam between six and eight hours in shark-infested water before being rescued by marines in a navy landing craft.

Ensign Robert N. Adrian, the only officer from the bridge of the Gregory to survive, told an Associated Press reporter about the rescue. He recounted the story on the NBC radio program, “It Happened in the Service.” Although Ensign Adrian got the Purple Heart for being wounded in action during the attack, French received a letter of commendation for “meritorious conduct in action” instead of a medal.

After the heroic act French made public appearances after the rescue, including attending a Creighton University football game with his sister in 1942. French was celebrated by the black press and was the subject of a syndicated comic strip. French was the only Black American to appear on World War II patriotic trading cards issued by GUM, Inc.

After French military service ended, he suffered from alcoholism and depression. French died on November 7, 1956, in San Diego, California; he was only 37 years old.

In June 2021, French was honored by USA Swimming at the Olympics Swim Trials in Omaha. Also in 2021, Nebraska’s three U.S. representatives, Don Bacon, Jeff Fortenberry, and Adrian Smith, co-sponsored H.R. 4168 to rename an Omaha post office for French.

Sources:

Sano, Y. (2022, May 14). Charles Jackson French (1919-1956). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/charles-jackson-french-1919-1956/