Name: Clive Garth Jeffs
Rank/Branch: O2/US Air Force
Unit:
Date of Birth: 21 October 1943
Home City of Record: Salt Lake City UT
Date of Loss: 12 March 1971
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 121900N 1083500E (BP170949)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: F100D
Other Personnel in Incident:
(none missing)
Source:
Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 April 1990 with the assistance of
one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources,
correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS:
SYNOPSIS:
The North American F100 "Super Sabre" first saw action in Southeast
Asia in northwest Laos in May 1962. F100 operations in Vietnam began in 1965,
and took part in Operation Flaming Dart, the first U.S. Air Force strike
against North Vietnam in February of that year. Further deployments of the
aircraft to the area left just five F100 squadrons in the United States.
Various modifications were made to the aircraft affectionately called "Hun" or "Lead Sled" by its pilots and mechanics over the early years, gradually improving night bombing capability, firing systems and target-marking systems. The single seat models D and F were good at top cover and low attack, and could carry a heavy load of munitions.
1Lt. Clive G. Jeffs was the pilot of an F100D Super Sabre dispatched on a mission over Vietnam on March 12, 1971. At a point on the border of Tuyen Duc and Khanh Hoa Provinces in South Vietnam, Jeffs' aircraft went down and he was never seen again. Jeffs was declared Missing in Action. The U.S. Government believed the enemy knew his fate, but had no evidence to confirm this.
Records on American military personnel were maintained in various government agencies. Raw intelligence data from Southeast Asia freqently first found its way into the files of the organization which came to be known as Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC). Many analysts believed JCRC records were the most complete and authoritative, since they contained largely raw data without benefit of analytical "muddling".
In November 1973, JCRC received a cable from Defense Intelligence Agency which was copied to various high stations, including CIA, the Secretary of State and the White House. The cable stated JCRC should "take necessary action to delete any references pertaining to PW [Prisoner of War] status and place members in a new MIA code" the files of Clive G. Jeffs and several others. Whether JCRC had intelligence that indicated Clive Jeffs was captured is unknown.
Since American involvement in Vietnam ended in 1975, nearly 10,000 reports relating to Americans missing, prisoner, or otherwise unaccounted for in Indochina have been received by the U.S. Government. Many officials, having examined this largely classified information, have reluctantly concluded that many Americans are still alive today, held captive by our long-ago enemy.
Whether Jeffs survived the crash of his aircraft to be captured by the enemy is certain not known. It is not known if he might be among those thought to be still alive today. What is certain, however, is that as long as even one American remains alive, held against his will, we owe him our very best efforts to bring him to freedom.
