One of the last remaining survivors of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Richard C. Higgins, passed away at the age of 102 on Tuesday. His granddaughter, Angela Norton, confirmed that he died of natural causes at her home, where he had been living.
Mr. Higgins was stationed at the Pearl Harbor naval base as a radioman on December 7, 1941, when Japan launched a surprise bombing attack on the base. This airstrike resulted in the deaths of over 2,400 Americans and led to the United States declaring war on Japan.
Throughout his life, Mr. Higgins shared his harrowing experience with schoolchildren and on social media. In a 2020 Instagram video, he recounted the chaos of pushing planes away from each other as bombs fell around him.
Born on a farm near Mangum, Okla., in 1921, Mr. Higgins lived through the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. He joined the Navy in 1939 and trained to become an aviation mechanic. Just two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, he returned from a patrol mission to find the base under siege.
After retiring from the Navy in 1959, Mr. Higgins worked as an aeronautics engineer. He married Winnie Ruth in 1944, and they had two children. Following his wife’s passing in 2004, Mr. Higgins is survived by his son, daughter, two grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
With Mr. Higgins’s passing, only an estimated 22 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack remain. Despite his reluctance to be called a hero, his granddaughter emphasized his dedication to sharing the stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
As the number of Pearl Harbor survivors continues to dwindle, Mr. Higgins’s legacy serves as a reminder of the bravery and sacrifices made by those who served during that fateful day in history.
