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Charles Jackson French was no extraordinary man, but by the time he turned 23 years old, he became a war hero.
French was a humble Black man born in Foreman, Arkansas, and learned to swim on his own in the Red River of the South. He joined the Navy after his 18th birthday and took one of the only positions available to Black men at the time: mess attendant.
After completing his enlistment in 1941, French made a new home in Omaha with his sister. This only lasted a short while, however, as the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred that same year, which prompted him to re-enlist.
Fate looked unfavorably, however, on French’s ship, the USS Gregory, in September 1942. When Imperial Japanese Navy ships fired on the Gregory, it began to sink and many U.S. sailors were either killed or badly injured. Aboard a sinking ship with enemies nearby, hope seemed all but lost.
Mess attendant French was one of the few uninjured men after the incident, and as such, saw what he needed to do. Though he hadn’t been allowed to mix with the white sailors, either on board or during training sessions in the ocean, French threw the rules out the window and thus rescued several of his shipmates.
Tying a rope around his waist, French took it upon himself to collect his injured comrades adrift in the dark, icy, shark-infested waters, and pile them on a life raft. Several sailors aboard the raft were unconscious, but the few who weren’t urged him not to take the risk of coming across sharks or drowning. French is reported to have said, “I’m more afraid of the Japanese than sharks.” This was a rational statement, as capture by the enemy Japanese military would likely have meant execution. As the only one able to swim, he boarded as many men as he could, telling them, “Just tell me if I’m going the right way.”
Then he swam. And swam. And swam some more, all the while hauling a raft full of 15 white men.
He swam until sunrise, an estimated six to eight hours from when the incident occurred, when a scout aircraft caught sight of them. French had saved the lives of all but 11 of the Gregory’s crew. This awe-inspiring feat earned him the nickname “The Human Tugboat.”
French died in 1956 and has since been posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroic actions, which was presented at Naval Base San Diego, where the base’s rescue swimmer training pool was also dedicated in his honor.
In June 2022, the U.S. post office located at 6223 Maple St. was designated the Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Jackson French Post Office. There is now a historical marker on the site of the post office, placed by the Nebraska State Historical Society, that tells French’s story, preserving his legacy and spreading awareness of the WWII hero.
Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy, announced on Jan. 10, 2024, that there will be a new U.S. Navy destroyer after French, projected to be delivered in 2031. Now getting some “long-overdue recognition,” according to Del Toro’s comments during the Surface Navy Association’s 36th National Symposium, French deserved the awards and praise he is now receiving. “He 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,” Del Toro said.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
