Muskogee family waits for word on son at Pentagon

This national tragedy is touching the lives of a Green Country family as they await word of a loved one, missing at the Pentagon. The News on Six's Diane White spent some time with a Muskogee family,

Friday, September 14th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

This national tragedy is touching the lives of a Green Country family as they await word of a loved one, missing at the Pentagon. The News on Six's Diane White spent some time with a Muskogee family, praying for a miracle. â€œTuesday I was in my second hour class and one of the students came in and said one of the teachers told her I needed to turn on the TV.â€

Thatâ€™s how Muskogee High School teacher Effie Milum found out about the attack on the Pentagon. Her son was working inside. "Where he was working, they said the plane didn't do that much damage, but he had left the area so at this time, they don't know where he is. They're still looking for him." He's her oldest child, 33 years old Major Ron Milum.

He joined the Army straight out of college and was last stationed in Saudi Arabia. Major Milum returned to the United States last year to work for the Secretary of the Army. "He's been all over the world in countries where we prayed for him to be safe and then he gets back to America and then there's a bomb and it's just a little ironic and it's very sad to me." Sad, yet hopeful that she will see her son again.

Major Milum is married with a one year-old daughter and a baby due in January. His wife is an Air Force Captain who also works at the Pentagon, she escaped unharmed, but he is still missing. "Maybe he's just kind of found a place to stay and we're just praying he has enough air in his lungs and enough strength to hold on until they get there, I just believe it. And we're just asking everybody to pray for use and keep hoping with us that he will come out by today, and that he will be okay.â€

Effie Milum's other son was in Philadelphia when the attack happened He immediately took a train to Washington DC to help his sister-in-law. Heâ€™s been attending briefings held by the Pentagon to update family members on the search.