Chronicle: Veterans Day

We sat down with organizations in the metro working to honor the men and women who have served the United States.

OMAHA NEWS-LEADER CHRONICLING THE STORIES AND PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS KETV NEWSWATCH H SEVEN’S CHRONICLE. GOOD MORNING. I’M ROB MCCARTNEY. THANKS FOR JOINING US. THIS WEEK IN THE UNITED STATES COMMEMORATING. IN 1938, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED NOVEMBER 11TH AS ARMISTICE DAY, HONORING THE ARMISTICE OF WORLD WAR ONE, THE 11TH HOUR OF THE 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH. IN 1954, IT BECAME VETERANS DAY TO HONOR AMERICAN VETERANS OF ALL WARS. NOW, WE’VE TOLD YOU ABOUT ONE OF THOSE VETERANS BEFORE, CHARLES JACKSON, FRENCH. THE OMAHA MAN SAVED 15 SHIPMATES IN WORLD WAR TWO. THIS YEAR, CONGRESS PASSED A BILL RENAMING A LOCAL POST OFFICE AFTER HIM. KETV NEWSWATCH 7 WAVERLE MONROE SHOWS US WHAT THAT GESTURE MEANS TO HIS RELATIVES. CHESTER FRENCH FINALLY GETS TO SEE HIS UNCLE RECOGNIZED FOR HIS COURAGEOUS ACTS AS A SAILOR IN THE U.S. NAVY, WORKED HARD TO EXPRESS AT THIS TIME BECAUSE I’M SO HAPPY THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE DEDICATING THE BENSON BRANCH TO PETTY OFFICER CHARLES JACKSON. FRENCH. BEFORE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, FRENCH’S HEROISM WAS ONLY KNOWN AMONG HIS FAMILY. NOW IT’S BEING HONORED BY HIS COUNTRY. IT MAKES EVERYONE AWARE OF THE THE DEEDS AND THINGS IN WHICH AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE DONE, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE VARIOUS WARS OR CONFLICTS THAT AMERICA’S BEEN IN. FRENCH WAS ABOARD THE USS GREGORY WHEN IT WAS SUNK BY THE JAPANESE IN 1942. IT WAS FRENCH WHO SAVED 15 OF HIS SHIPMATES. HE SWAM FOR HOURS IN SHARK INFESTED WATERS, TOWING A LIFE RAFT TO BRING HIS CREW TO SAFETY. DESPITE THE RACIAL DIVIDE, BLACK U.S. NAVAL MEN HAD TO ENDURE 15 SAILORS AND WERE WELCOMED THAT THEY CHANGED THEIR HEARTS. WE KNOW FROM THEIR STORIES THAT THEY DEFENDED HIM LATER WHEN FOLKS TRIED TO TREAT HIM AGAIN SEPARATELY FROM THE REST OF THE CREW. IT WOULDN’T BE UNTIL 2022, WHERE FRENCH’S RECOGNIZED FOR HIS BRAVERY IN THE CITY OF OMAHA, PROCLAIMING TODAY CHARLES JACKSON, FRENCH DE KEITH STATION, READ THE PROCLAMATION THE MAYOR WAS NOT IN ATTENDANCE CELEBRATING THE HERO OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS HONORABLY SERVED OUR COUNTRY. CHESTER SAYS HE HOPES HIS UNCLE CAN SERVE AS AN INSPIRATION TO YOUTH AND SHOULD BE KNOWN TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. WHILE THE YOUNG MINORITY KIDS THAT ARE COMING OUT, THEY CAN SEE THAT THROUGH HARD WORK, THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH THINGS IN THE GREAT PLAINS. BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM PLANS TO PLACE A HISTORICAL MARKER, A DATE FOR THAT IS A KNOWN FOR CHESTER, HE SAYS INSTEAD, ACTION WAS LONG OVERDUE. WELL, THERE WAS A HERO IN THE FAMILY, AND SO WE WERE PROUD. WAVERLE MONROE KETV. NEWSWATCH SEVEN. NOW THERE IS TALK OF TRYING TO GET FRENCH POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR. WE’LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THOSE EFFORTS AND ORGANIZATION HONORING VETERANS OF COLOR AS THE GREAT PLAINS BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM. YOU HEARD A LITTLE BIT OF ABOUT IT THERE BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE YEAR. YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE MUSEUM’S EXHIBIT CALLED TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, WHO CALLED NEBRASKA HOME AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO SERVED. NOW, ERIC EWING IS THE MUSEUM’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. ERIC, THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. APPRECIATE IT. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. FIRST OFF, WHAT CAN VISITORS EXPERIENCE OR EXPECT TO SEE WHEN THEY GO TO THE MUSEUM AND SEE THIS EXHIBIT? WELL, WITH THIS EXHIBIT, IT’S ALTHOUGH THIS IS OUR THIRD YEAR DISPLAYING THIS EXHIBIT. EACH YEAR IT GROWS AND IT CHANGES BECAUSE OF DONATIONS DUE FROM THE COMMUNITY. AS FAR AS DIFFERENT ARTIFACTS. JUST AS RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY, WE RECEIVED TWO ADDITIONAL PHOTOS TO GO ALONG WITH THE PICTURES. ONE WAS AN ACTUAL DRAWING OF A THOUSAND. DAVIS, WHO WAS A LOCAL TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, A RED TAIL. AND THEN WE ALSO GOT A PHOTO OF BATTALION WORLD WAR TWO VETERANS, BATTALION, AFRICAN-AMERICAN BATTALION. SO NOW WE HAVE A PICTURE, A PANORAMIC PICTURE OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO SERVED DURING WORLD WAR ONE AS A RETURN FROM FRANCE. AND NOW WE HAVE A PHOTO JUST TO BE NEAT OF IT, OF A OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO SERVED DURING WORLD WAR TWO. AND ALPHONSO DAVIES COURSE CAUSE HE’S NAME A CHAPTER’S NAMED FOR HIM FOR THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN LOCAL THE LOCAL CHAPTER IS NAMED AFTER YOU KNOW I ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH BOB HOLTZ AND CHARLES LANE BEFORE THEY PASSED A COUPLE OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. I MEAN, A LOT OF PEOPLE AREN’T AWARE OF THE AIRMEN AND WHAT THEY DID AND THE FACT THAT THEY LIVE HERE IN NEBRASKA. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THEM? WELL, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THEM AND FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW IS BECAUSE OF FACT THAT THEN EVERYONE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYONE’S DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO TO THE MILITARY AND TO MAKE AN AMERICA WHAT IT IS TODAY. HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO HONOR THEM EVEN AFTER THE EXHIBIT WRAPS UP? OR IS THE EXHIBIT THERE FOREVER? WELL, THE EXHIBIT WE WE’VE FEATURED THIS PARTICULAR EXHIBIT STARTING OCTOBER ONE AND RUNS THROUGH DECEMBER OF EACH YEAR. SO ONE WAY YOU CAN YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT IT IS IS VISIT TAKE A LOOK AT THE EXHIBIT AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ARTIFACTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO EITHER DONATE OR LOANED TO THE MUSEUM. SO THE WAY THE EXHIBIT CAN GROW BECAUSE AS I SAID, IT FOCUSES ON THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, BUT WE ALSO CAPTURE OTHER AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO SERVED AS WELL. WE DO HAVE A BIG PHOTO OF MR. FRENCH AND THE PROCLAMATION ON WHY HE GOT THE STREET EXCUSE ME, WHY HE HAD TO POST OFFICE NAMED AFTER HIM AND EMBARRASS OTHER ARTIFACTS AS WELL. SO YOU WERE YOU ALSO ARE A VETERAN, CORRECT? YES. WHAT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? WHAT BLACK VETERANS WENT THROUGH EARLY ON AND WHAT THEY’VE GONE THROUGH AND WHAT THEY’RE GOING THROUGH NOW? I MEAN, IS THERE A COMPLETE CHANGE? IS EVERYTHING BETTER NOW? WELL, EVERYTHING IS BETTER, BUT I STILL THINK THERE IS. THERE’S SOME WAYS TO GO. I TELL FOLKS, A LOT OF TIMES WE SAY THAT THE MILITARY GOES UNRECOGNIZED. AND I WILL TEND TO AGREE WITH THAT. BUT IF THE MILITARY AS A WHOLE GOES ON RECOGNIZE MINORITIES WHO SERVE IN THE MILITARY, GO EVEN MORE AND RECOGNIZE. I GAVE A PRESENTATION TODAY ON THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS TO KIDS VIRTUALLY. AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE LONE FEMALE BUFFALO SOLDIER THAT FOLKS WEREN’T AWARE OF. SO I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A FEMALE BUFFALO. I MEAN, BUFFALO SOLDIER FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW, OBVIOUSLY DURING THE CIVIL WAR IN THE LADY RIGHT AFTER. YES. YEAH. HER NAME WAS CATHY WILLIAMS. WOW. AND SHE WAS WELL, SHE WAS INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI NIGHT. SO. I NOTICED ON YOUR WEBSITE, DO YOU HAVE A NUMBER OF STORIES THERE, A FASCINATING STORIES. CAN YOU SHARE ANY OF THEM? AND YOU COME TO MIND? I MEAN, I WAS LOOKING AND THIS IS A VETERAN ORIENTED, ORIENTED. THERE ARE SOME PICTURES THAT ACTUALLY CAME FROM LINCOLN. YES. YEAH. THOSE ARE BLACK AND WHITE. THOSE ARE FASCINATING IN THE STORIES THERE. YEAH, WELL, JUST IT CAPTURES MOMENTS IN TIME AND WHICH MAY HAVE GONE UNNOTICED BECAUSE I CAN’T REMEMBER THE THE THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO TOOK THE PICTURES AT THAT NAME IS DRAWING A BLANK FOR ME RIGHT NOW. BUT HE CAPTURED, YOU KNOW, EARLY ON, YOU KNOW, AND FOLKS, YOU KNOW, THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION AND IN LINCOLN AND IF IT WAS NOT FOR SOMEONE, DISCOVER BRING THOSE PHOTOS, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PART OF HISTORY THAT WOULD HAVE GONE ON SCENE BY PEOPLE. YEAH, IT’S AMAZING. IT JUST READING THAT HISTORY. I CAN’T REMEMBER HIS NAME EITHER, BUT A GARAGE SALE IS INVOLVED, AND IT’S JUST. IT’S JUST ALMOST KIND OF LIKE DUMB LUCK THAT THIS NAME CAME FORWARD. WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE MUSEUM? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAPPEN? WELL, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PRESERVE THE HISTORY, YOU KNOW. SO IN THAT WAY, EVERYONE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN. I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY A FEW YEARS AGO TO MEET THE CURATOR FOR THE MILITARY SECTION OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM IN D.C. AND HE MADE THE STATEMENT THAT FIRST AND FOREMOST, WHAT YOU SEE IS AMERICAN HISTORY, FIRST AND FOREMOST, BECAUSE EVERYTHING WE TALK ABOUT, EVERYTHING WE HAVE DISPLAY IS THINGS THAT OCCURRED IN AMERICA. BUT IT’S AMERICAN HISTORY TOLD THROUGH THE LENS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN. AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR NOT JUST AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO KNOW THIS HISTORY, BUT FOR ALL OF US TO KNOW THIS HISTORY. SO THEN THAT WAY WE CAN GAIN A BETTER APPRECIATION OF EACH OTHER. AND IN EACH OTHER’S CONTRIBUTIONS. I’M SURE WORDS NEVER BEEN SPOKEN. ERIC, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING IN TODAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. APPRECIATE IT. AS WELL. YOU BET. WELL, STILL TO COME ON CHRONICLE, WE’RE GOING TO BRING YOU THE STORY OF A WORLD WAR TWO VETERAN AND HIS LONG LOST LOVE. THEIR REUNION ALMOST 70 YEARS IN

Chronicle: Veterans Day

We sat down with organizations in the metro working to honor the men and women who have served the United States.

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