The 35th Infantry Regiment Association salutes our fallen brother, SP4 John Larry Jeffers, who died in the service of his country on July 25th, 1967 in Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. The cause of death was listed as Small Arms/AW. At the time of his death John was 19 years of age. He was from Camden, South Carolina. John is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 23E, Line 119.
The decorations earned by SP4 John Larry Jeffers include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star with V, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation.
American Legion Post 195 in Elgin, SC is named in honor of Larry. He was one of the first soldiers from Kershaw County to be killed in Vietnam. Larry is buried at Hermitage Pentecostal On Highway Church Road in Elgin.
(His BSV Citation)
General Orders 3324, Award of The Bronze Star For Heroism, 4th Division, 8 October 1967
For heroism in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. On 25 July 1967, Specialist Four Jeffers distinguished himself while serving as a Fire Team Leader in the Reconnaissance Platoon of the 2/35th Infantry. After an observation helicopter engaged and either killed or wounded four enemy soldiers, Specialist Four Jeffers' squad was flown in to recover their weapons and equipment. Once the squad had dismounted the helicopter, it came under heavy automatic weapons fire and was forced to take cover. Defying intense enemy fire, Specialist Four Jeffers moved across approximately 20 meters of open terrain to a position where he had very little cover, in order to suppress the enemy fire. Placing an intense volume of fire on their positions, he kept the enemy forces pinned down long enough for his squad to reach the safety of a trench line. Specialist Four Jeffers heroic action resulted in his death, but it had eliminated a grave threat to the safety of his comrades. His self-sacrificing devotion to the welfare of his fellow soldiers is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit on himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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