Family awaits worker's return from Saudi Arabia

11:30 PM CDT on Monday, May 3, 2004

By Jeremy Desel / 11 News

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Hundreds of Houston companies are currently doing business in Saudi Arabia and as of Monday night at least some workers from Houston-based oil company ABB Lummus Global, Incorporated are getting out of that country, following this weekend’s deadly attack on their colleagues.

They boarded vans Monday night for a plane to take them home.

KHOU-TV The family will not feel completely comfortable until Sam Mason is back home.

The workers were clearly shaken by the shooting deaths of two Americans, one from Houston and the wounding of four others.

The images from the Middle East can be overwhelming. Numbing, unless you are watching for a reason like the Masons'.

“Anybody in the Middle East anywhere is probably not safe. When you’ve been there a longer period of time like he has I felt more uncomfortable,” said Randy Mason.

‘He’ is Sam Mason, father, husband and ABB Lummus employee in Yanbu.

When Ruth Mason got the call Saturday explaining there had been an attack, it didn’t seem real.

“Not at first, but pretty soon the roaring starts going in your head and you realize that, oh my gosh, this is real,” said Ruth Mason.

Sam Mason was in his office when he heard a popping sound and thought it might be a light bulb exploding.

When he heard the second popping sound he realized what it was and he got up locked his office door, turned off the light and got under his desk.

When the noise stopped Mason found the bodies of several colleagues in the office right next door.

Houstonian Phillip Coplen was one of those killed.

Terrorism expert Neal Adams said he expects this is only the beginning. “Those foreign workers over there cannot be protected. We cannot ever beat the terrorism at the prevention game.”

That is one reason Mason, along with nearly 100 ABB employees, are making their way home in the next few days. Not a second soon enough for loved ones back here. Still it won’t be real until father and son meet face to face.