Higgins’ Sister-in-Law Angry at Bush, Calls on U.S. to Retaliate

The sister-in-law of Marine Lt. Col. William R. Higgins blamed his apparent death Monday on inaction by the United States and called on the government to retaliate.

“I’m angry at President Bush, but not at the Israelis,” said Bonny Tully, 34, the owner of a dog-grooming and pet supply store in Newhall. “At least the Israelis did something. Too bad my brother-in-law had to die for it.”

For the past 18 months, Tully has fashioned yellow bows on her clients’ pets to remind customers of her brother-in-law’s captivity. The front doors of her store in a small shopping center were also decorated with half a dozen yellow ribbons. As she spoke to a reporter Monday, she used a brush and electric razor to groom a pale brown cocker spaniel. When she finished, she tied a bright yellow ribbon to the dog.

Critical of U.S. Policy

Tully has been publicly critical of the U.S. policy against negotiating with terrorists since Higgins was abducted in Lebanon by radical Shiite Muslims in February, 1988.

She said she supports calls for the United States to retaliate. “What’s our plan?” Tully asked. “We’re the strongest country in the world. But we’re just sitting on our hands.”

Tully is the sister of Higgins’ wife, Marine Maj. Robin Higgins, a public affairs officer at the Pentagon. The Higginses have been married for more than 12 years, Tully said. She remembered her brother-in-law, who was known to family as Richard, as a patriotic and hard-working man.

“Richard loved our government. He loved his job and his country,” she said. “He was the head of 72 men for the United Nations. He was doing something. He was doing something for his country.

“I know he wanted to get the hell home,” she added. “He probably had a lot of faith in the government trying to get him out.”

Tully said the family had lived with the uncertainty of Higgins’ fate since last winter, when his captors conducted a mock trial and sentenced him to death. “They put us on a roller coaster of emotions,” she said. “You never knew what to think.”