Scott Higgins recalls Marine Corps service and urges others to consider public or military service

Scott Higgins, a former staff sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, told a public meeting that his time in the Marines was ‘‘the best time of my life’’ and urged residents to consider serving the country in the military or in civil service.

Higgins said he enlisted in 1989 after working in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and meeting a recruiter in Framingham, Massachusetts. "I was 25," he said, describing how he put his "money where my mouth was" and shipped out to Parris Island six months later. He said he served just shy of 10 years and rose to the rank of staff sergeant with about three years time in grade when he left the Corps.

Higgins described deployments to the Far East on three occasions, citing visits to Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines, and said those experiences exposed him to many cultures and people. He said the Marine Corps taught him discipline and confidence "to do any job, anytime, any place, anywhere." "I am intensely proud of my service to the Marine Corps," he said.

Framing his remarks in a civic context, Higgins tied military service to U.S. freedoms — including the freedoms of travel, religion and speech — and said those who enjoy those rights should consider serving the country "in one way or another," whether through the armed forces or civil service. He concluded by encouraging community members to consider such service during their lifetimes.

The public comment consisted primarily of Higgins's personal recollection and an appeal for civic participation; no formal motions or votes were recorded during his statement.