Born on March 13, 1925 in Long Beach California. Served with the 48th Squadron, 14th Fighter Group and was shot down on March 1, 1945 in the Czech Republic. The pilot's remains were buried at the local church, but under the name Clark Shiler. The mistake was made because a silver bracelet belonging to Cliffgard's fiancée, Shirley Clark, was found at the scene of the accident. This name also appeared in the post-war SNB investigation report. The American exhumation commission in 1946 also relied on the report.
Because no identification tag was found and the US Air Force did not register a pilot named Clark Shiler, the remains were buried in Neupre, Belgium, in a grave marked "Unknown".
Only later, after the identity was established, were the remains transported to the United States at the request of the family, and he is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles County.
Fred G. Cliffgard was born on March 13, 1925 in Long Beach, he was assigned to his unit on November 12, 1944, the mission on March 1, 1945 had serial number twelve. He received the Air Medal and posthumously the Purple Heart.

In September 1991, a monument (with the wrong rank and year of birth) was unveiled in Pouzdřany in the presence of the then American ambassador Shirley Temple-Black and an exhibition was opened. Source: http://www.leteckabadatelna.cz