Southern HS Class of 1963 honors Marine classmate tortured, killed in the line of duty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Southern High School Class of 1963 honored a former classmate decades after he was killed in the line of duty.

The class held a rededication Tuesday morning at a memorial erected at the school for U. S. Marine Colonel William Higgins. He was part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, when he was taken hostage in 1988. He was tortured and murdered by his captors. The Defense Department recognized his death 31 years ago.

"This beautiful memorial is a fitting tribute to one of Kentucky's heroes," retired U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Darien L. Kearns said. "He deserves to be remembered and he deserves our undying respect."

The ceremony included a playing of the National Anthem, a Color Guard and the playing of "Taps." Higgins' older sister came to help honor her brother by laying a wreath at the memorial.

"It means a whole lot to me," Mary Francis Higgins Fisher said. "He was a hero. He gave his life to the Marine Corps."

IMAGES | Memorial rededicated to Marine Col. William Higgins at Southern High School

The stone monument features a picture of Higgins and the inscription that says, "This memorial is dedicated to hope and faith. Hope that his life made a difference and faith to know that his has. Richard Higgins was a senior in the class of 1963 had written in his yearbook "my goal is for my family to be proud of me.' And we are."

Higgins also served as a decorated hero in the Vietnam War.