August 1, 2006

Local Marine Comes Home

And the staff of The Thunder Run mourns with his family.

Lance Cpl. James Willard Higgins Jr., USMC, 22, of Thurmont, was killed Thursday, July 27, in Al Anbar, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. James Willard Higgins Jr., 22, died Thursday from wounds suffered 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.

The son of Ms. Higgins and James W. Higgins Sr. of Elizabethtown, Pa., Lance Cpl. Higgins will be buried with full military honors Friday at Resthaven Memorial Gardens in Frederick.

His mother, sister Melinda and brother Joseph sat at the family's kitchen table Monday evening sorting through pictures of Lance Cpl. Higgins with his family. While some memories evoked smiles and others tears, Ms. Higgins said her son would have been proud of the way he died.

"He believed in freedom and in serving his country, he believed in standing up for what is right," she said.

Semper Fi Lcpl Higgins, may your family find solace in knowing you died serving the greatest country in the world. You are an American Fighting Man and you deserve the highest of accolades.

Read more about Lance Corporl Higgins Jr., here.

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