Hi all,
I recently acquired a lot of four Gum Inc. war cards from 1942. The highlight of the group is card #129 titled "Negro Swimmer Tows Survivors"... Today the card would carry a different title but back then the world was a different place and unfortunately an act of bravery must also carry the notation of race.
The image and reverse side explains the heroic actions of Petty Officer Charles Jackson French. French was serving on board the U.S.S. Gregory during the Guadalcanal campaignin 1942. On the night of September 4-5, the U.S.S. Gregory was sunk during engagement with Japanese forces and as she slipped beneath the waves much of her surviving crew, many of whom were wounded, climbed into a life raft. The waters they were located in were shark infested and in sight of land. The land however was hostile and the raft was drifting towards it. This is when French decided to strip off his clothing and have his fellow crew tie a rope around his waist and to the raft. He lept into the water and began to swim, towing the raft out of harms way. French would end up swimming through the night for between 6-8 hours pulling his men until they were sighted and picked up by an American vessel.
After the war many, including his crew, believed that French was deserving of a much higher honor than the simple letter of commendation that he received. It is clear that the longstanding racism within America denied him further honors and recognition. When news of his heroics broke in the states and around the world he was unidentified, only known as "French" he was then immortalized first in the 1942 Gum Inc. card set and then in a newspaper comic strip. Following this he was identified and went on war bond tours through the United States and was honored in his hometown of Foreman, Arkansas. He sadly passed away at the young age of 37 in 1957 inpart due to alcoholism. It seems he was swept into the pages of history. That is until late last month when his story was rediscovered (originally unearthed in the early 2000's in part due to card #129) and shared on a broader scale through the likes of social media. It was at this time that I like many others found out about Charles Jackson French.
The purpose of my post here is to share what is an interesting card, yes, but also to continue to share the story and the legacy of Charles Jackson French. As a student earning his degree in history and who has an interest in the Second World War as well as the modern Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s I am surprised that his story had flown undetected under even my inquisitive radar and I figure by sharing this here it could help introduce him to even more people and continue in helping tell his story and see to it that he might get the recognition he deserves.
Here is a link to a more detailed telling of French's story:
https://ishof.org/assets/charles-jac...ch_article.pdf
Jake
