Funeral services were held Monday in the Bountiful LDS North Canyon Stake Center for retired Lt. Col. Clifford Dale Jolley, the only Utah Air National Guard jet ace from the Korean War.
Mr. Jolley, 74, who was decorated with the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and several disting- uished flying crosses, died July 13, 1994, at his Bountiful home. He underwent two heart operations in 1994 and suffered a brain tumor earlier this year.A military flyover honored the airman during burial services at the Bountiful Cemetery. A native of Cleveland, Mr. Jolley joined the Air Force in 1941, serving in World War II and Korea. He ended his tour of duty in Korea in October 1952 with seven confirmed downings and 13 probable downings of Soviet MiG fighters. He received the ace-qualifying fifth kill when he shot down a MiG-15 while on patrol over Sinuiju, North Korea, an area near the Yalu River known as "MiG Alley."
He downed his first enemy fighter planes during a three-month period that year, with one of the missions earning him the Silver Star. After shooting down one plane, the F-86 Sabrejet ace realized his wingman had disappeared. Although injured and his plane low on fuel, Jolley went on to search for the other American pilot, whose plane also had been hit by enemy fire. The two pilots ejected into the Yellow Sea. The wingman perished, but Jolley was picked up initially by the North Koreans, who released him after being confronted by an American helicopter crew.
The airman continued with the Air National Guard after full-time military service and was a test pilot for Northrup Aircraft in California. Later he owned a construction company, was director of design for Boise Cascade and worked for the architecture department of the LDS Church.