Charles Jackson French

[Coyote]

Senate passes bill naming Benson post office after Nebraska WWII hero
Charles Jackson French saved 15 sailors after Japanese attack on their ship

Nearly 80 years after Charles Jackson French saved 15 fellow sailors’ lives, the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to put his name on a local post office. President Joe Biden has 10 days to sign the bill. Japanese forces had just attacked the USS Gregory on Sept. 5, 1942. The ship was sinking, and 15 injured sailors were stranded. Petty Officer 1st Class French tied on a rope, jumped into the ocean and swam their boat to safety, through shark-infested waters.

French’s nephew, Roscoe Harris, has said the family wants people to see the value of sacrifice and to understand that French’s story is “an American story.” French’s story matters to many because the Navy, in those days, didn’t recognize heroism by Black service members in the same way it did heroic acts by white sailors.

Nearly 80 years after French’s nephew, Roscoe Harris, has said the family wants people to see the value of sacrifice and to understand that French’s story is “an American story.”

French’s story matters to many because the Navy, in those days, didn’t recognize heroism by Black service members in the same way it did heroic acts by white sailors. saved 15 fellow sailors’ lives, the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to put his name on a local post office. President Joe Biden has 10 days to sign the bill. Japanese forces had just attacked the USS Gregory on Sept. 5, 1942. The ship was sinking, and 15 injured sailors were stranded. Petty Officer 1st Class French tied on a rope, jumped into the ocean and swam their boat to safety, through shark-infested waters.

French’s nephew, Roscoe Harris, has said the family wants people to see the value of sacrifice and to understand that French’s story is “an American story.” French’s story matters to many because the Navy, in those days, didn’t recognize heroism by Black service members in the same way it did heroic acts by white sailors.

[Coyote]

Bill to honor WWII hero Charles Jackson French passes Senate
Measure would designate Maple Street post office in French's honor

A bill to name the U.S. Post Office at 6223 Maple Street as "Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office" has passed the United States Senate. The measure is now being sent to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign.

French was in the U.S. Navy in World War Two when their ship, the USS Gregory, was sunk by Japanese forces.French saved the lives of 15 of his shipmates by swimming through shark-infested waters near the Solomon Islands.The U.S. Navy also dedicated its surface rescue swimmer training pool at Naval Aviation Schools Command Swim Site San Diego in French's honor.

[Coyote]

Black WW2 hero's story of pulling 15 men to safety through shark-infested waters gets a new audience



KMTV 3 News Now

The story of a Black Navy vet who saved 15 of his crewmates during World War II was only known among a few families for many years. But now through social media, the tale of Petty Officer Charles Jackson French is being shared to thousands of people.

[Coyote]

WWII veteran Charles Jackson French’s name now on Benson post office
Navy commander says French set example for sailors to follow

The brick post office in Benson now bears the name of a Navy man with Omaha ties: World War II hero Charles Jackson French. Members of the French family and elected leaders attended a ceremony Friday celebrating naming the building for him. “If his parents and his siblings were living, they would be very proud,” said Chester French, one of Charles’ nephews. Another nephew, Roscoe Harris, thanked the group of more than 50 attendees for honoring their uncle’s sacrifice. Both nephews live in Omaha. Eighty years ago this month, Japanese forces sank the ship on which French served, the USS Gregory, near Guadalcanal Island. Petty Officer 1st Class French, a Black man who lived in Omaha before entering the Navy, saved the lives of 15 injured white sailors. French tied a rope to his waist, jumped into the ocean and swam for six to eight hours, pulling a raft with the injured men. At that point, the Navy was segregated and limited service members of color to jobs in the ship’s galley. After French and the sailors were rescued, a crew tried separating him from the others. Sailors vouched for him. Chester French said his family have heard from the daughters of one sailor who hung off the side of the raft and helped Charles navigate. They also have heard from family members of others on the raft.

Navy Cmdr. Ben Selph, who flew in for the ceremony, said French’s selfless example is one that American sailors aspire to match. “Petty Officer French, Charles Jackson French, knew before so many in our country did that what matters is the content of a man’s character over the color of his skin,” said Selph, who is based in San Diego. U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., and U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., led an effort that was joined by the rest of the Nebraska congressional delegation to rename the post office for French. Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, said at the ceremony that people who have served in the military recognize “gallantry, courage, never leaving your buddy behind.” They see a brother in French, he said. “He changed hearts of 15 sailors who were there that day,” Bacon said. “It has taken thousands of Petty Officer Frenches to change hearts and minds.” Fischer called Friday a joyous occasion that was “a long time coming.” She said the country needed to honor French for his service and sacrifice. “It’s important for future generations that they can be inspired by this story of one man and his remarkable actions to save his colleagues,” she said. “It is our duty to keep those stories alive.”

[Coyote]

Benson Station Post Office renamed in honor of World War II hero

Officer French tied himself to a line and swam in shark-infested waters for more than six hours to rescue his shipmates adrift in a raft

[Coyote]

World War II hero from Omaha
will be honored with new Navy destroyer named after him



A World War II hero from Omaha will be honored in a remarkable way. The Navy will name a new destroyer after Charles Jackson French. His bravery went overlooked for decades.