This WWII Hero Swam Through Shark-Infested Waters to Save His Crew

Black history is American history. Meet Charles Jackson French, a hero you might have never heard of.

During an inky black September night near Guadalcanal in 1942, a WWI-era destroyer (that was converted into a high-speed transport) was on patrol after transferring a Marine Raider Battalion to Savo Island.

A low haze hung in the air that made landmark identification all but impossible. As they steamed between Guadalcanal and Savo Island at 10 knots, the…