Matthew was born on February 15, 1946 and his family lived in the Frankford neighborhood in Philadelphia at 1058 Granite Street. He graduated from Roxborough High School and was planning to go into commercial art when he was drafted into the Army in August of 1966. He was a Seventh Day Adventist and so he trained as a medic. He left for Vietnam in February 1967, where he was assigned to Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division.

He wrote home about the sick and starving Montagnard Highlander children for whom he cared. Private Higgins was Killed In Action near the Cambodian border on March 14, 1967. He was 21 years old and was survived by his mother, his stepfather, a sister and two stepsisters.

Philadelphia Inquirer March 23, 1967

Philadelphia Inquirer March 18, 1967

Philadelphia Daily News October 26, 1987

Higgins, Matthew, PFC