Lehman Riggs, born on January 17, 1920 in Arkansas is a US veteran and last contemporary witness, who was involved in the liberation of Leipzig in April 1945. He made a major contribution to the identity of the photo "Last man to die" and with his lectures he was able to prevent the historic building at Jahnallee 61 in Leipzig (Capa-Haus) together with the citizens' initiative from being demolished, where he saw his comrade Raymond J. Bowman die in Leipzig on April 18, 1945 the day before the end of the war. Riggs is the last survivor of the2nd US Infantry Division.

Riggs volunteered for the front when he was 25 (previously worked as an aircraft manufacturer in Detroit). With the 2nd US Infantry Division, also called Indianheads, he was involved in the landing in Normandy. When Leipzig was liberated by the US Army in April 1945, Riggs and Bowman were supposed to cover the storming of the Zeppelin Bridge in Leipzig-Lindenau in the direction of the city. Riggs was the first marksman on a heavy machine gun. It stood on a balcony on the second floor at Jahnallee 61. Bowman was fatally shot by a German sniper after a battle. Riggs only survived because Bowman stood in for him at the time. The war photographer Robert Capa, who was also in the apartment, took a photo and published the dying soldier in the US magazine "Life" after the German surrender.

Lehman Riggs worked for the post office after the war. As the oldest member of the Veterans Honor Guard, Riggs participated in ceremonies at more than 1,000 funerals and played taps for the deceased soldiers. Riggs lives in Cookeville, Tennessee (as of 2020).

Source of information: de.wikipedia.org
Photo source: https://www.facebook.com/foxnashville