Muskogee High School Students Plant Flags On Campus Lawn To Honor Lives Lost On 9/11

Muskogee High School students spent Tuesday night planting 2,997 flags on the campus's front lawn; one flag for each person who lost their life on September 11th, 2001.

Young Republicans President Blake Simmons wasn't even born yet when the attack happened. Librarian Jennifer Kilgore said that's why she was so touched when Blake approached her with the idea.

"I was just so proud of him, that he thought of it," she said.

Kilgore said only around half of Muskogee's senior class was alive on 9/11, so for most students, it's event they've only learned about in History class.

"We thought, if it's worth learning about, it's worth honoring," junior Aspen Stewart said.

The students planted one stand alone flag in the middle of the others to honor Major Ron Milam, who graduated from Muskogee High School in 1986. Milam went on to play college basketball, and then joined the Army.

On the day the Pentagon and NYC's twin towers were attacked, Milam's mom was an English teacher at the high school.

Mrs. Kilgore didn't know Milam personally, but took over his mom's classroom so she could go home and find answers about her son.

"It was sometime after that we found out that they had recovered his body from the Pentagon," she recalled.

Simmons said the flags are for Milam, and every person whose families lost a loved one that day.

"We just think it's our duty to make sure we never forget, and that was our way of doing that," he said.

9/11 may have happened before they were born, but it's a tradition Simmons hopes will last a lifetime.

"Here at Muskogee High School, we like to start traditions," he said. "I think we started one here today by planting those flags."