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U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC)
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220428-N-NO999-001.JPG Photo By: Willie Kendrick

SAN DIEGO - Mess Attendant Charles Jackson French risked death that others might live. On September 5, 1942, USS Gregory was hit by Japanese naval fire near Guadalcanal and sank. Petty Officer First Class Charles Jackson French swam through the night in shark infested waters towing a raft of wounded sailors with a rope around his waist. French successfully brought the men to safety on the shores of the Solomon Islands. French was the first black swimmer to earn the Navy Medal for his heroism in 1943.


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