By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Charles Jackson French, a name once confined to forgotten pages of history, is now being rightfully recognized as a national hero.
Born on September 25, 1919, in Arkansas, French rose from humble beginnings—an orphan who moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to live with his older sister—to become the embodiment of bravery and sacrifice during World War II.
French first enlisted in the United States Navy in 1937, serving as a Mess Attendant 3rd Class—one of the limited roles available to Black Americans at the time. After completing his four-year term in 1941, he returned to civilian life in Omaha.
But just days after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, French re-enlisted on December 19, 1941, driven by a sense of duty.
French’s moment of unmatched heroism came in the early hours of September 5, 1942. Serving aboard the high-speed transport ship USS Gregory, French found himself in the middle of the Battle of Guadalcanal: an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater.
The Allied ship was sunk by Japanese naval gunfire, leaving French and his fellow sailors stranded in shark-infested waters.
Among them were 15 wounded shipmates clinging to a life raft. Knowing the raft was drifting toward Japanese-occupied territory—where capture likely meant execution—French took decisive action. He tied the raft’s towline around his waist and began to swim, refusing to climb aboard despite pleas from Ensign Robert Adrian, who was wounded and drifting in and out of consciousness.
“I’d rather face the sharks than the Japanese,” French reportedly said.
For six to eight grueling hours, French swam through the open ocean, dragging the raft and its human cargo away from danger. At sunrise, a scout aircraft spotted the group, and a Marine landing craft was dispatched to rescue them. French’s extraordinary effort saved 15 lives and exemplified a kind of selfless courage rarely seen.
Despite his bravery, French was not awarded the Navy Cross for which he was recommended. Instead, he received only a letter of commendation from Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, then commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet. Historians and advocates have since pointed to racial prejudice as the reason for the denial of higher honors.
Though his heroism was briefly celebrated—he appeared on War Gum trading cards, was the subject of a comic strip, and was named “Hero of the Year” by The Chicago Defender—his story faded from public memory.
French was discharged from the Navy as a Steward’s Mate First Class on March 9, 1945.
After the war, he married and had a daughter but struggled with alcoholism, a condition believed to be linked to undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He died at the young age of 37 on November 7, 1956, and was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
It wasn’t until decades later that the military and the nation began to correct this historic oversight. On May 21, 2022, French was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal—the highest non-combat decoration for heroism. In a lasting tribute, the base’s rescue swimmer training pool was dedicated in his name.
Later that year, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 4168 into law, officially naming the U.S. Postal Service facility in Omaha as the “Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office.”
Then, in a powerful gesture of respect, U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced in January 2024 that a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Charles J. French.
As Secretary Del Toro aptly stated, “[French] swam for hours, pulling 15 souls from the jaws of the sea, defying the odds and the sharks with nothing but his own grit and compassion.”
Charles Jackson French, the “Hero of the Solomon Islands,” is no longer a forgotten sailor. He is an established and honored American hero.
