Honoring a hero: One of the last Pearl Harbor survivors dies at the age of 102

Richard C. “Dick” Higgins, one of the few remaining survivors of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, passed away this month at the age of 102.

He died of natural causes in his Bend, Oregon, home, Angela Norton, Higgins’ granddaughter, told The New York Times. His funeral will be held on Thursday, March 28, at Eastmont Church in Bend, Oregon, at 11 a.m.

How one of the last survivors of the Pearl Harbor attacks describes the day

Higgins was a radioman assigned to a patrol squadron of seaplanes based on the Oahu naval base on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Fox News reports.

Fox News recounts a 2008 oral history interview with Higgins, where he describes being in his barracks when the bombing began.

He described a plane flying 100 feet above his barracks with “big red meatballs” on the plane, according to a 2008 interview with the National Museum of the Pacific War. These markings are identifiers of Japanese aircraft during World War II.

“So, there was no doubt what was happening in my mind because of the things that had been going on,” he said, per Fox News.

Richard Higgins was dedicated to sharing his experiences. Together with his family, they established @quarantine_chats_with_gramps. His profile bio states, “102-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Sharing my stories before I forget them.”

On May 13, 2020, Higgins’ grandkids posted him describing the early hours of the attack. Higgins describe being awakened by bombs going off “all around.”

Higgins continues, “I got on some shoes and pants and headed down for the hangar.”

In the social media post, Higgins said a Marine held him back for the first wave of the attack. During the second wave, he bravely maneuvered planes away from each other as bombs continued to fall and gasoline fumes filled the air.

“I was moving planes away from ones that were on fire because when the tanks exploded, they threw burning gas on the others,” he said.

According to the Pearl Harbor tours website, the one-hour and fifteen-minute attack claimed the lives of more than 2,400 Americans and was the catalyst for the U.S. to declare war.

What we know about Richard Higgins, one of the last survivors of Pearl Harbor attacks

According to Fox News, Higgins was born on July 24, 1921, on a farm near Magnum, Oklahoma. He joined the Navy in 1939 and retired 20 years later. His wife, Winnie Ruth, died at the age of 82 in 2004. Higgins and Ruth were married for 60 years.

An article by USA Today highlights an interview with the National Museum of the Pacific War, where Higgins discussed living through severe dust storms during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and the Great Depression from 1929-1939.

Fox News said Norton, Higgins’ granddaughter, shared that her grandfather was a kind man who would share his stories about Pearl Harbor, World War II and the Great Depression openly.

“It was never about him,” Norton said. “The heroes were those that didn’t come home.”

Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, said there are 22 remaining survivors of the attack that have joined the Pearl Harbor Association, per Fox News.

Norton told The New York Times that Higgins is survived by two children, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The family later announced there will be a memorial service of full military honors. Following the service, his body will be flown to California, where he will be buried next to his beloved wife.