GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Clarence Schipper has a story to tell. He's written it down and shared it with his family. A centenarian, a World War II veteran, and one of the last surviving members of the Greatest Generation, he has tales worth telling. Even at 101 years old, he can tell them well, too.
On Monday, Schipper rode in Georgetown Township's annual Memorial Day parade. Perched atop a wagon, he waved to the masses of parents and children who lined Baldwin Street in the spirit of patriotism, remembrance and, of course, free candy.
"I am grateful, thankful for the nation we have, the freedom we have," Schipper told FOX 17. "I know a lot of people went through a whole lot more than I did."
In 1941, when Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, Schipper was a senior at Davis Tech High School.
He was drafted into the U.S. Army a short time later in 1942, during the same month he graduated.
"I was glad to go," Schipper said. "I wanted to go, as did all of my friends."
After several weeks of training in the states, Schipper boarded the Empress of Australia, an ocean liner turned troopship, and began his deployment. Prior to the war, the Michigan native had never traveled outside his home state, much less his country.
"Many of the guys got sick," Schipper said about his trip across the Atlantic Ocean, reading from an autobiographical essay he wrote for his family. "I slept on a marble step to get away from the smell."
The 5,000 troops on board had to share bunks with each other and were served two meals a day. Breakfast consisted of liver and onions, an orange and tea. Dinner was "much better."
"I mostly lived on that orange," Schipper said. "I think I even ate the peelings."
The 18-year-old had been assigned to the U.S. Army's 555th Signal Aircraft Warning (SAW) unit. Using microwave radar technology, Schipper and his countrymen were able to spot enemy planes in the European theatre and relay their coordinates to allied troops.
In total, the unit's reconnaissance across six battles led to the destruction of at least 500 aircraft and the damage of at least 200 more.
"We were not carrying guns and shooting people, but we did back up our troops to a great extent," Schipper, a corporal, said.
Given the Germans did not possess such technology, he was not permitted to tell his family and friends the type of work he was doing overseas.
He did, however, take photos.
"No one confiscated it," Schipper said about his film camera, which he carried with him throughout his military service.
Often developing the photos in his combat helmet by using chemicals and paper from bombed-out German airports, he compiled enough images to fill a scrapbook.
To this day, a photo of two children sledding on a snowy hill stands out to the veteran. When the picture was taken, the Battle of the Bulge had occupied the same countryside only days earlier. A tank with a damaged turret can be seen in the background.
"It really impressed me that those young people could recover from what they experienced," said Schipper, who himself witnessed brokenness and destruction from the deadliest war in history.
"Bombs, planes shot down," he said. "Our unit was not a combat unit, but we were close to the front lines. In many places, the dead were still lying where they were killed."
The scale of such human suffering led the corporal to doubt the existence of God.
Atop a hill behind his camp that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea, Schipper opened his Bible and read from the book of Hebrews, which, in its fourth chapter, portrays Jesus Christ as a "high priest" who is able to "emphasize with our weaknesses."
"It touched my soul," Schipper said. "Wow. To think Jesus was tempted, just as I was, and didn't sin. I knew I had sinned and I wanted to follow him the rest of my life."
In 1945, the war had been won. Schipper returned home.
The corporal was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, rather than the Army, as his radar unit had been attached to the former. He would soon make profession of faith and meet his wife, whom he credits for helping him in his walk with God and "many other adjustments and attitudes."
The stars and medals on Schipper's military uniform are the same ones he annually wears during the Memorial Day parade in Georgetown Township.
"I didn't go through a whole lot compared to many, many people," Schipper said. "We were not on the front lines. I did not have to shoot or kill anyone, and I'm grateful for that."
