James C. Harper was born in Georgia in 1920. Information about his parents, siblings or early years has not been located. When he registered for the draft in the fall of 1941, Harper indicated that he was a resident of Santa Cruz County, was single and had completed four years of high school. At that time he was working as a surveyor.

James Harper was inducted into the US Army on October 22, 1941, at San Francisco, as a private in the Army Air Force. After completing basic and advanced training, he was promoted to sergeant and sent to the 744th Bomber Squadron, 456th Bomber Group, (Heavy) of the 15th Air Force in Europe. His unit flew B-24 Liberator bombers and was known as "Steed's Flying Colts" after its commander Colonel Thomas Webster Steed.

“The last of 19 missions against Romanian oil production occurred August 18. Missions continued against oil and synthetic oil production facilities at Odertal, Germany; Moosbierbaum and Vienna, Austria; Brux, Czechoslovakia; and Blechhammer, Poland, with 26 bombers lost on 23 missions. Bombing of German lines of communication, particularly marshalling yards and railroad bridges, remained a priority to the end of the war. After August 1944 the 456th did not lose another aircraft to fighter defenses, but losses continued to accumulate from anti-aircraft fire. In the remaining nine months of operations 43 bombers were lost, most to flak. Three or more bombers were lost on five missions, including November 11, when three planes crashed into the Adriatic after being recalled from a mission.”

On November 11, 1944, Sergeant James C. Harper was listed as missing in action. He was probably a crew member of one of the three planes from the unit that crashed into the Adriatic on that day. His remains were never located; he is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Florence American Cemetery, Florence, Italy. His awards include the Air Medal and Purple Heart.

(ABMC, NARA2; WIKI, 456th Bomb Group)