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Vietnam War Joint Casualty Resolution Center (JCRC) Jungle Jacket


jason_w
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Hello,

 

I thought some of you might like to see this. It turned up on Ebay recently and I think the auction went relatively unnoticed. I have been trying to find one of these for years and this one is magnificent.

 

I am almost certain the jacket belonged to SFC Johnson Clark who was the Team 2 NCOIC for the Element B Survey Team of JCRC from 1973 to 1975.

 

Jason

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I was watching this but really didn't know how rare or how much something like this would go for but I thought the closing price of $999.99 was a little steep. Is this a fair price for something this rare I'm guessing?

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The JCRC was set up in 1973 to attempt to resolve some of the many MIA cases in Vietnam. The teams were made up of mostly U.S. Army Special Forces but others were involved as well. These teams went to the field unarmed and under truce. Jackets like the one shown above were worn and the helicopters were also marked with orange stripes.

 

In December of 1973 a JCRC team went to a helicopter crash site to look for remains. On the 3rd day of this mission the Team was ambushed and CPT Richard Rees was killed.

 

 

From M. I. A.: Accounting for the Missing in Southeast Asia.

" In early December 1973, another JCRC field activity began. The site of interest, a helicopter crashsite, was located approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Saigon in an area of rice and pineapple fields, low trees, and brush. The rice fields, abandoned for a number of years, had grown up with tall grass and weeds but were still flooded with knee-deep water and mud. Captain Richard Rees, the JCRC field team leader on this operation, flew with his team to the crash site aboard FPJMT-marked helicopters on the morning of December 13.

. . .

On the morning of the third day, 15 December, Rees and his team again boarded the FPLMT helicopters at Tan Son Nhut airport in Saigon for the short 15-minute flight back to the crashsite.

. . . The first of three helicopters hovered down to a landing. Touching down gently, Rees and his men hopped out as the Vietnamese pilot held the craft stable on the dike. The other two helicopters commenced their landings adjacent to the first. Suddenly a Communist B-40 rocket-propelled grenade exploded against the first helicopter, setting it afire and fatally wounding one of the Vietnamese crewmen. Though hit by shrapnel, the other two helicopters immediately took to the air to escape a similar fate. With their means of escape gone, Captain Rees and his unarmed team were at the mercy of the automatic weapons fire which the Viet Cong ambushers now raked across the paddy field.

Rees and his men threw themselves down into the knee-deep water, hoping that the weeds and old paddy dikes would provide some degree of cover from the ambushers' fire. Captain Rees quickly realized that they were totally at the mercy of their attackers . . . In a final courageous gamble to save his team, Rees stood up with his hands raised, and shouted in Vietnamese to the attackers to stop their firing because his men were unarmed. His shout was immediately answered by a volley of fire from the brush at the edge of the paddy, and Captain Rees fell dead in the water.

. . . the Viet Cong quickly withdrew from the scene leaving behind one American killed and four team members wounded, one Vietnamese killed and three wounded, and one helicopter destroyed."

 

 

I recenty came across one of the most poignant movies I have ever seen from the Vietnam war. The film was made on the 1st and last day of this tragic mission. Due to copyright restrictions the Texas Tech Vietnam Archive does not allow for direct links but you can view the movie by going to the below page click the "Search the Virtual Vietnam Archive", select "Go to advanced Search" and search for "JCRC" and checking the "Moving Image" box on the right side. There are 2 movies but the one I am referring to is titled "Aftermath of an Ambush [December 1973]"

 

http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/

 

 

 

Jason

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I saw the acution and at a grand for the jacket I wouldnt say it was un-noticed.

 

Maybe few post were made on it in as most collectors do not know much about the unit or its activity and its significance overall.

 

Heres one I own

 

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What I meant by unnoticed was that there were only a couple of bidders that drove the price up. I was just surprised that it did not receive more attention. No, it did not go cheap but I know where more SOG 1-0 jackets are than JCRC jackets.

 

Jason

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What I meant by unnoticed was that there were only a couple of bidders that drove the price up. I was just surprised that it did not receive more attention. No, it did not go cheap but I know where more SOG 1-0 jackets are than JCRC jackets.

 

Jason

 

I agree Jason.

 

Another thing may have been the description or lack of and I think many people just didnt know what it was

 

Thanks for posting the Rees story.Very intresting and informative as I will admit Im not real versed in the units activities and this jacket on ebay was only one of two i have seen with the pamels on it.Thanks again.

 

RD

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Here is a still from the video I mentioned earlier showing CPT Reese. This was taken 2 days before the Team was ambushed and he was killed.

 

Jason

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I saw it on eBay and was skeptical at first. But after looking it over about 5 times I came around to thinking it was authentic. This is about as rare as uniforms get from the Vietnam era... I'd seen period photos, but this is the first I've ever seen come up for sale.

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This is a fantastic jacket from am under reported unit. Does anyone know if there is a veterans unit for the JCRC? Would love to get in contact and tell their story on our site.

 

Thanks for posting

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Jason et al,

 

A great piece, congrats! I was in the mix at the end as well so glad that it is going to a good home. An additional photograph that might be of interest:

 

JCRC Field Elements circa early 1975. LtC Sully Fontaine is standing far right. Jason, your guy may be in there as well.

 

 

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Photograph is from Jason Hardy's Specal Forces History.com web site.

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Congratulations jason It's a fantastic piece, I was the under bidder on a lousy hotel connection.

 

Many thanks for posting the period images and for sharing your new jacket with us.

 

Great photo Kriegsmodel, that's Larry White far back left Isn't It.

 

Yours, Guy.

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I agree and great pictures for sure.Very intresting part of history and seldom seen or discussed.

 

Jason,can you tell us what the different designating letters represented on the right pockets??

 

Congrats on getting the jacket.Please post it when you can.

 

RD

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I think they may be team designations Ron.

 

Initially I thought they could be blood groups but there do not appear to be any positive or negative symbols present.

 

I have some different examples of JPRC flags somewhere which I will post If anyone would like to see them and Jason doesn't mind.

 

Yours, Guy.

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Wow, this is all new to me and both interesting and tragic. Not to cast aspersions, but I am floored by their wearing uniforms and not civilian clothes. Seemed like an invitation for something to go wrong. Sad story, amazing artifact.

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As mentioned above the B is for Element B. If you look at the photo where they are carrying CPT Rees the Airforce members of JCRC have EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) on their pockets.

 

Guy, please post any JCRC items/photos that you have.

 

Regards,

Jason

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Wow, this is all new to me and both interesting and tragic. Not to cast aspersions, but I am surprised by their wearing uniforms and not civilian clothes. Seemed like an invitation for something to go wrong. Sad story, amazing artifact.

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Wow, this is all new to me and both interesting and tragic. Not to cast aspersions, but I am surprised by their wearing uniforms and not civilian clothes. Seemed like an invitation for something to go wrong. Sad story, amazing artifact.

 

Not wearing uniforms could also cause issues in my opinion.They may think your an intelligence operative and not look to kindly on your being in the area either ;)

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I think they may be team designations Ron.

 

Initially I thought they could be blood groups but there do not appear to be any positive or negative symbols present.

 

I have some different examples of JPRC flags somewhere which I will post If anyone would like to see them and Jason doesn't mind.

 

Yours, Guy.

 

ThanksGuy,Jason,MFT3 for the info.I was thinking it a Team or type of designation.

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No worries mate.

 

Many thanks Jason and Mike for expanding our knowledge there. I've always found JCRC and It's forerunner JPRC extremely Interesting but could find out very little about them.

 

The Items below originally belonged to and were brought back by Larry White. The bag which Is essentially the same as the property 'ditty' bags Is a personal effects bag; the casualties personal effects were put In It and the metal tag was affixed to the body bag to prevent the two becoming seperated during recovery and subsequent processing. The flag Is a JCRC '4 powers' hi vis flag which would be affixed to the elements vehicle antenna. The high visibility flags and uniform panels were to set these men apart from combatants but unfortunately also made very good aiming points. Please forgive the JPRC patch placed on the flag which Is was done for photographic purposes when I owned these Items.

 

I have two other flags, one of which Is a variation, I will photograph and add these to the thread when I am able.

 

Very best regards and thanks again for such a fascinating and Informative thread.

 

Yours, Guy.

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