BROWNS VALLEY, Minn. — A young man who died fighting for our country has finally been returned home for burial in Minnesota — more than 80 years after his death.
Laverne "Budd" Nigg was just 23 years old when he died in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, but the destruction that took place on that infamous day made identifying his remains impossible for decades.
"Growing up, you would always see his picture on the wall at my grandparents house," said Dan Nigg, who never had a chance to meet his great uncle Budd. "I'd imagine the best thing to say is thanks."
Dan and his family welcomed Budd Nigg home late Wednesday night in Fargo, North Dakota. A Delta airlines flight arrived with his remains and a military honor guard was there to greet him.
"It's kind of unreal to go through this after all these years," Dan said.
For years, he had heard stories about how his great uncle had enlisted in the Navy in 1940, along with three of his cousins. The family members were all in Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Oklahoma on the morning of the attack, but the cousins all narrowly escaped before torpedoes hit. Budd did not.
"His cousin Robert was helping a priest set up for mass when the attack happened," Dan said. "He saw Budd on a gun, firing at a (plane), and then when he came back by (Budd) laid there deceased. He had been hit with some shells from the plane."
But for decades, a grim telegram announcing the death of Budd Nigg, Navy Seaman 2nd Class, was all that returned home. Then, in 2021, the family finally received notice that DNA forensics had identified his remains.
"You always think, someday, it's going to happen, but all of a sudden here it is, and it's pretty amazing," Dan said.
And as he is returned home this weekend, he'll receive the military funeral his family has been waiting for.
Funeral mass for Laverne "Budd" Nigg, Navy Seaman 2nd Class, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 4, 2022, at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Browns Valley, Minnesota. Burial will follow with full military honors at Calvary Cemetery.
The funeral service and cemetery military honors are open to the public to honor the fallen sailor.
The funeral mass will be livestreamed on the Eggers Funeral Home Facebook page.
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