Christmas Day 1941 was long remembered in the Schipper family, but not for bringing good tidings of great joy.

Henry Schipper Jr. was born on January 15, 1910, in Duluth, Minnesota, to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schipper Sr. The Schipper's later moved to Casselton, North Dakota, with their sons Henry, Ted, Lester, Howard and George and daughters Lois and Geraldine. Henry Jr. attended Casselton High School and after graduation, enrolled in the Univer- sity of North Dakota, where he majored in commerce.

In addition to his scholastic curriculum Henry joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps and considered a career as an army officer. When he received his degree in 1932, Henry Schipper was also commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve.

The Schipper family moved to Santa Cruz about 1933. Henry accompanied them and found employment in what was described as the "commercial area." Lt. Schipper con- tinued to remain active in the local army reserve.

In 1933 Henry married Evelyn Lukins, a Santa Cruz girl, and in 1935 their daughter Judith was born. In the late 1930s, Henry, Evelyn and Judith moved to San Bruno, Cali- fornia, to be closer to the Butler Brothers Store in San Francisco where he was manager of the carpet department.

In 1940, with war clouds gathering in the Pacific, First Lieutenant Henry Schipper was activated by the army and sent to Fort Ord in Monterey. This was followed by a brief assignment at Fort Benning, Georgia. In September 1941 Lt. Schipper was sent to the Philippines and attached to the 72nd Infantry Regiment of the 71st Philippine Infantry Division. In October he was promoted to Captain and assumed responsibility for the training of a battalion of Filipino recruits.

When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in December 1941, Schipper and the recruit battalion he was training on the island of Manbucal were ordered to the defense of Manila. On Christmas Day, 1941, Captain Henry Schipper Jr. was killed in action. His remains were later recovered and interred in the Manila American Cemetery. His awards include Philippines Awards, the Silver Star and Purple Heart.

(ABMC; SCSn December 25, 1941 16:3, January 4, 1942 1:7,
January 7, 1942 2:8)