Fallen Soldier's Dream Is Mother's Mission
Debbie Higgins has been fighting all her life, running a trucking company and raising three kids on her own.
Her hardest battle yet is trying to make her eldest son's last wish, a reality.
"He said, 'This is my mark in history mom. This is what I need to do,'" she tells CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier.
Two days before he was killed by a single sniper round in Fallujah, Marine Lance Cpl. James Higgins Jr. told his mom he wanted to build a memorial to all U.S. troops killed since the end of the Vietnam War.
Debbie Higgins admits it's what she needs to do to hang onto him.
"Like he's still here somewhere," says Dozier as they walk through James' room.
"Maybe I'm hoping for a hug," she says looking at his photo.
Joe Higgins still wears his older brother's watch and his dog tag.
"This was actually struck by the bullet," he says showing off the dog tag. "It went inside and came out the chest."
With James' Purple Heart, Medal of Valor and his image, friends have turned her bike into a mobile memorial.
"James just adored the flag, loved his country," Debbie Higgins said.
Debbie Higgins says she talks to her son all the time and that grief is what's driving them. The local cemetery has donated land and Congress has signed off on it, but they've only raised $3,000 — they need $17 million.Dozier Blogs: A Soldier's Mother On Her Own Mission
She's kicked off an annual raffle, auctioning the kind of bike her son would have liked.
"My son asked me, the last time I spoke to him on the 23rd, not to leave anybody behind. To build a memorial for them," she tells a raffle ticket buyer.
It's sort of bake sale with a bikers' twist.
"This is for the vets, all us vets," says a biker who purchased a raffle ticket.
A day after the anniversary of her son's death, Debbie Higgins kicked off a fund-raising ride in honor of all of America's fallen.
Debbie Higgins says she probably won't break even this time. No matter.
"If I don't pick up and carry out his dream, then I'm letting him down and I can't do that. I refuse to do that as a mother," she said.
And she tells herself what James would say: "Don't give up."