Lance Corporal James Willard Higgins Jr

FREDERICK NEWS POST Lance Cpl. James Higgins Jr., USMC As originally published on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 LCpl. James Willard Higgins Jr., USMC, 22, of Thurmont, Md., sacrificed his life for our freedom on Thursday, July 27, 2006, in Al Anbar, Iraq. Born in Olney, Md., on June 2, 1984, he was the son of Debbie Sue Russ Higgins of Thurmont and James Willard Higgins Sr. of Pennsylvania. A 2003 graduate of Catoctin High School, he achieved honor roll status throughout his four years of high school. A sports lover, James was MVP of his Catoctin Youth Association Baseball team. He was the 1998 Catoctin Youth Association Football MVP on defense. His football prowess carried over to his high school years where played junior varsity in the ninth grade and played varsity from tenth grade through graduation. He was named most improved over those years, received the CHS Football Team Bronze Club Award in 2001, the Dr. Henry Leonard McCorkle Award during both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. James had a yearning for flying and in 1999 he joined the Frederick Civil Air Patrol where he was named the Most Gung Ho Cadet. In 2001, he received the Military Bearing Award; in 2002, his certificate of First Solo Flight; and in March of the same year, completed the Private Flight Program. In 2003, he received his Certificate of Appreciation to Top Flight Officer (TFO). During 2000, he was honored as the Tri-Wing Encampment Honor Cadet at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. James' aspiration was to serve his country, and he joined the United States Marine Corp on April 11, 2005. He completed Marine Basic Training at Paris Island, S.C., on July 8, 2005. He graduated School of Infantry at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in September 2005, qualifying as a Machine Gunner Rifle Sharp Shooter. On September 22, 2005, James joined Weapons Company 1st Battalion 1st Marine Division. He was deployed to Iraq in January of 2006, where he received the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart. Besides his parents, James is survived by his loving brother Joseph C. Higgins and sister Melinda "Mindy" S. Higgins, both of Thurmont; his maternal great-grandmother; maternal grandparents; paternal grandmother; aunts; uncles; and many cousins. He will also be remembered by his best friends, Pvt. James Michael Campbell, USMC, and Shawn Michael Kelly. The family will receive friends on both Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Stauffer Funeral Home, 104 E. Main Street, Thurmont, Md. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 4, 2006, at 11 a.m. at the Lynfield Event Complex, Highway 15 and 10142 Hansonville Road, Frederick, Md. with commander Robert McGaha officiating. Burial with full military honors will follow in Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick. Honorary pallbearers will be James' father, brother and two best friends. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be to the James W. Higgins Jr. Benefit Fund, c/o M& T Bank, Francis Scott Key Mall Branch, 5585 Spectrum Drive, Frederick, MD 21701. Proceeds from the fund will be distributed to the Catoctin High School Football Program and toward college expenses for his brother and sister. James would like for all to remember him and his comrades for their sacrifices and to remember this saying: U ncommonly brave S acrificing for others M entally prepared A ble in body and deed R esourcefully skilled I n wartime or peace N o challenge too great E ver ready to serve S afeguarding our country Online condolences may be expressed to the Higgins family at www.staufferfuneralhome.com

FREDERICK NEWS POST School copes with loss of two graduates Published on August 3, 2006 By Alison Walker-Baird News-Post Staff FREDERICK -- Only time will tell how current and former Catoctin High School students will cope with two graduates being killed in Iraq in less than three months. U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. James Higgins Jr., class of 2003, died Thursday. His death was 70 days after the May 18 death of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, class of 2000. "It should be a call to reality for (students) that life is short and fragile-- you really shouldn't waste it," said the high school's athletic director, Tom Sherald. "These were two young men who didn't waste any time." Cpl. Higgins, 22, died of a gunshot wound to the chest while conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, his family said Monday. He was assigned to the Weapons Company 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Cpl. Higgins, son of Deborah Higgins of Thurmont and James W. Higgins Sr. of Elizabethtown, Pa., deployed to Iraq in January. He was scheduled to fly into Baltimore on Aug. 26. Dana Cable, a Hood College psychology professor and grief expert, said Cpl. Higgins' death will likely be difficult both for former students who knew him and current students who didn't have a personal relationship with him. Mr. Sherald said he expected an outpouring of Cpl. Higgins' peers to attend his funeral Friday morning. Funerals, especially for a person who died suddenly, provide grievers a sense of the reality of the loss, Mr. Cable said, and create a social support network for the person's friends and family. Ann Hammond, FCPS' supervisor of psychological services, said when a crisis such as a student's death occurs during the summer, students and staff may have adjusted to the loss by the time classes starts in the fall. However, some members of the school community may still require counseling and crisis services. "Crises and tragedies affect people differently," Ms. Hammond said. "We try to address staff's and students' individual responses to tragedy." Providing counseling Catoctin High School principal Jack Newkirk said no students have yet contacted the school's guidance counselors for grief support since Cpl. Higgins' death. Catoctin High's on-staff guidance counselors and psychologists are available to students year-round, he said. If students need more services than the school's staff can provide, Mr. Newkirk said Ms. Hammond will deploy the school system's crisis team. "As a school we try to look at how we can help students through the healing process," Mr. Newkirk said. Ms. Hammond said the team, also led by Sharon Boettinger, FCPS' supervisor of counseling and student support, includes psychologists, school counselors and nurses and clinical social workers. After the death of a student or staff member, the crisis team supports the staff and students in that person's school, assists a school administrator in visiting the person's family and counsels administrators in sending letters home to the school's students and staff, Ms. Hammond said. Creating memorials Mr. Sherald said Wednesday afternoon that several members of the community have called him to discuss establishing a memorial to Cpl. Higgins and Lt. Seidel, such as a plaque or scholarship. "The kids don't want to forget them," he said. Mr. Newkirk said the school will help create a memorial for Cpl. Higgins upon his family's request. Catoctin High administration assisted Lt. Seidel's family in creating a scholarship through the Community Foundation of Frederick County, he said. Lt. Seidel's parents, Robert and Sandra Seidel, created the 1LT Robert A. Seidel III Memorial Scholarship Fund to award annual scholarships to Catoctin High graduating seniors. Cpl. Higgins' family asked for contributions to the James W. Higgins Jr. Benefit Fund in lieu of flowers. Donations may be made care of M&T Bank, Francis Scott Key Mall Branch, 5585 Spectrum Drive, Frederick, MD 21701. Proceeds from the fund will be distributed to the Catoctin High School football program and toward college expenses for Cpl. Higgins' brother and sister. Joseph, 20, and Melinda, 18, also graduated from Catoctin High. nnn Cpl. Higgins' funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Lynfield Event Complex in Frederick, at 10142 Hansonville Road off U.S. 15. Burial with full military honors will follow in Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick.

FREDERICK NEWS POST LAID TO REST Lance Corporal James W. Higgins Jr. buried in Frederick Published on August 5, 2006 By Alison Walker-Baird News-Post Staff Cpl. Higgins' mother, Deborah Higgins of Thurmont, sobbed into the chest of her son Joseph, 20, after Marine Master Sgt. Wayne Sullivan handed her the folded American flag that had draped her son's casket. The 22-year-old was buried with full military honors in the cemetery's Veterans Memorial Garden of Honor. He was one of four Marines killed July 27 during combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. "He was one of the bravest men I've ever known, one of the best men I've ever known, and he loved this country dearly," said Joseph Higgins, who stood close to his sister, Melinda, 18, on a stage at the Lynfield Event Complex in Frederick. More than 350 friends and family members gathered at the complex Friday morning for Cpl. Higgins' funeral services, led by Chaplain Cmdr. Robert McGaha. "Everyone who was lucky enough to know James knew he was a great man," Joseph Higgins said. "I love you, James, and I will miss you, but I know I will see you again." The 2003 Catoctin High School graduate died of a gunshot wound to the chest. He had been stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., as a member of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force. Friends and family spoke of Cpl. Higgins' dedication to the Marine Corps and the United States and of the joy he brought to their lives. Cpl. Higgins' friend, Marine Pvt. James Michael Campbell of Thurmont, said when he woke up last week on the day Cpl. Higgins died, he knew something wasn't right. His sister told him the news. Pvt. Campbell said his friend had a knack for making even the worst of days better. "No matter what it was, no matter what you were doing, he found a way to make you smile," Pvt. Campbell said. "He was just goofy. I loved that about him ... He was the best friend I ever had." Marine 1st Lt. Byron Owen, Cpl. Higgins' platoon commander in Iraq, said on the day of his death, Cpl. Higgins had been promoted to vehicle commander. "He was doing what he loved -- leading Marines," Lt. Owen said. He encouraged Cpl. Higgins' friends and family to remember that the Marine had made the greatest sacrifice he could for his fellow man. "Celebrate the life he gave so others could live. This is what James would want," Lt. Owen said. "James, you will be missed but never forgotten. Semper Fidelis." Lance Cpl. Adam R. Murray, 21, of Cordova, Tenn., Cpl. Timothy D. Roos, 21, of Cincinnati and Pfc. Enrique C. Sanchez, 21, of Garner, N.C., were also killed July 27. The three men were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. A life honored Cpl. Higgins' friends and family said he lived his life with passion for the military, academics, football and flying. He joined the Marine Corps in April 2005 and was deployed to Iraq in January. Cpl. Higgins received the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart. Cpl. Higgins was on the honor roll all four years at Catoctin High. He was active in the school's football program, playing junior varsity in ninth grade and varsity from 10th to 12th grade. He was also named most valuable player of his Catoctin Youth Association Baseball team and was the 1998 Catoctin Youth Association Football MVP on defense. Cpl. Higgins joined the Frederick Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) in 1999 and received numerous decorations, including Most Gung-Ho Cadet in 1999 and Tri-Wing Encampment Honor Cadet in 2000. CAP member Cadet 1st Lt. Randall Ott of Urbana said Cpl. Higgins was his first flight sergeant. At Tuesday's CAP meeting, Cpl. Higgins' death was formally announced and followed by 30 seconds of silence, Lt. Ott said. Cadet 1st Lt. Tim Baker of Frederick said he was shocked Sunday when he learned of Cpl. Higgins' death. Cpl. Higgins was his friend and former flight sergeant, he said. "Being in the corps, you never expect to hear friends as a casualty of war. But I knew he'd be proud of what he did," he said. "(He) always had his act together. He was a role model for the younger cadets É They strived to be like him." Paying tribute Members of the Patriot Guard Riders waited outside the Lynfield complex to pay tribute to Cpl. Higgins. The national organization, composed mostly of motorcyclists, attends funerals of U.S. service members killed in combat as invited guests of the family. About 30 Patriot Guard Riders from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania attended, driving patriotically decorated motorcycles or vehicles in the funeral procession. Members held American flags at the entrance to the complex, creating a corridor of red, white and blue. "We want to provide the family and community a sense of relief, letting them know someone cares," said Richard Beckwell, the guard's Maryland ride captain. "We want to pay our respects and give honor to the young individual." Patriot Guard Riders also attended the May funeral of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Robert Seidel III, a 2000 Catoctin High graduate, to prevent family members from seeing a nearby protest. No protesters attended Cpl. Higgins' funeral.

USMC Online - Marine Corps News 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment honors fallen warrior Aug. 4, 2006; Submitted on: 08/06/2006 08:12:46 AM ; Story ID#: 20068681246 By Cpl. William Skelton, 1st Marine Division CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq (Aug. 4, 2006) -- Marines from Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment paused operations to honor a fallen Marine. Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins was killed in action July 27 and memorialized by his fellow Marines at Camp Fallujah’s Chapel of Hope Aug. 4. Lt. Col. David J. Furness said Higgins was the type of Marine whose dedication shone in every part of his career. “His peers referred to him as ‘Sergeant Major Higgy’ in tribute to the sterling example he always set as a Marine.” said the 43-year-old battalion commander from Oceanside, Calif. “His bearing and dedication reflected in everything he did.” Higgins was 22-years-old and from Thurmont, Md. He was assigned to Weapons Company’s Mobile Assault Platoon 2. “Higgins was a man who selflessly gave his life leading his Marines and protecting his brothers in Mobile Assault Platoon 2,” Furness said. “Initially he was a quiet and reserved young man, but under the crucible of combat he blossomed into one of the best Marines in Weapons Company.” Higgins, a former football player and all-around athlete in high school, was an ambitious and outspoken Marine who answered his nation’s call to serve. “James Higgins was a brave, intelligent and brilliant young man who would have been successful on any path in life he chose,” said Capt. Alton A. Warthen, the 32-year-old company commanding officer from Newport News, Va. “He could have gone to college, pursued a civilian career and lived a life of relative comfort and wealth. “He chose instead to come here and fight for the freedom of others,” Warthen explained. Warthen said that Higgins and the 141 other Marines in Weapons Company represented the most noble aspects of the ancient code of war and of humanity itself. “It is a tragic irony that young men like Lance Cpl. Higgins must sacrifice and in some cases die, fighting to protect what most take for granted,” Warthen said. “But as we have all come to understand these past seven months, without us there would be nothing to take for granted.” A recent photo of Higgins rested on an easel beside a memorial of a helmet resting on a rifle with a set of identification tags and a pair of combat boots. A Marine played “Taps” at the close of the service while all stood at attention. Higgins’ platoon then came forward individually to pay their last respects. “There is honestly never a time that I can recall where I really had to guide Higgins,” said Cpl. Nicholas D. Miett, a 25-year-old machine gunner from Calaveras, Calif. “He was on a level much higher than his peers.” Miett said Higgins’ leadership abilities were astounding for a Marine of his rank. “He was literally everything a leader could want in a Marine,” Miett explained. Higgins was described as a Marine who could drive, gun, dismount and even take charge. “It was as if most times he could read my mind and know exactly what I needed done,” Miett said. “He was vibrant and caring, known for his expert knowledge, professional bearing, intensity and most of all his timely and self-deprecating sense of humor,” Furness explained. “He was admired by many and loved by all.” Higgins graduated from Catoctin High School in Frederick, Md. He reported to recruit training in May 2005 and completed the School of Infantry, obtaining his military occupational specialty of 0331 – machine gunner. His awards include the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon. “The Marines and sailors of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines will soon leave Iraq and return home, a privilege we have not earned, but one that has been purchased for us with the blood of our wounded and fallen,” Furness said. “It is their heroism that holds our proud Marine Corps heritage. It is their heroism that guarantees our success here in Iraq.”