But there
was much beauty and love found on that day...in a place that most people
have never heard about. That place is on an island to the north of my
island in Gander, Newfoundland. And it was there that beauty, love
and generous hospitality flourished on such a horrible day.
Gander,
Newfoundland is a town of 10,000 people and is situated at the
easternmost edge of North America. The Gander International Airport was a
refueling stop on early transatlantic flights of the 1940's and 1950's.
But the advent of long-haul jets in the 1960's ended its life as an
aviation hub. The Gander International Airport still has a big runway,
but big jets touch down there much less often now.
All
of that changed quickly and suddenly on September 11, 2001. In the
space of only 3 hours, the Gander International airport landed 39 jets
carrying 6,600 passengers from all over the world. With such short
notice, a major city would be hard-pressed to shelter and house that
number of people. But Gander, one of Canada's poorest provinces, housed
and fed all of the 6,600 passengers for
four days! The people of Gander, and the people from nearby towns,
provided food, shelter and in some instances, clothing, to all of those
scared passengers who did not know when they would be able to finish
their flights. Many of the passengers were Americans who must have been
terrified and worried for their families back home.
Many international passengers were surprised
at the level of generosity and hospitality that was shown to them by the people of Gander. But for
most Canadians - we were not surprised at all - Newfoundland/Labrador
is known as a place of great generosity and hospitality, and the people
there have huge hearts.
Letters, cards, e-mails and gifts are
still pouring in to the town of Gander and the Gander International
Airport from passengers expressing their great thanks. And even though
the town did all that they could without ever expecting anything in
return, their grateful guests even donated over $60,000 to the town.
************
(i don't usually do copy and paste posts but i felt that this article
needed to be shared. the article marked the 10yr anniversary of 9/11, and i think it is fitting to be reminded of this story on every
anniversary.)
Gander on 9/11 told 'you were the best of us'
U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson paid tribute to the town of Gander,
N.L. for its generosity on 9/11, hailing its residents for their grace
and good humour and representing "the best of us."
Jacobson was a key speaker at the memorial ceremony held at the
town's hockey rink, where two steel girders from the World Trade Center
were presented by a New York City firefighter to thank the town for its
hospitality toward stranded air travellers on Sept. 11, 2001. The
girders will remain in the town's aviation museum.
With a tremor in his voice, Jacobson reminisced about the tireless
efforts of all the town's residents and surrounding communities during
that day 10 years ago, and the days that followed.
"This could well be the motto of this town: 'Without waiting to be asked,'" Jacobson said.
He spoke about one stranded passenger, a child, who turned four in
Gander soon after 9/11. All his gifts were stuck on the plane he had
been on, so to make him feel better, a local Gander family threw him a
party.
"They consoled and they cooked, they cooked and they cooked," Jacobson recalled.
Jacobson also thanked the hundreds of Canadians, including those in
Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto, who helped thousands of
stranded passengers.
The Gander ceremony began with a group prayer with its mayor, Claude
Elliott, taking the podium first to honour the "beautiful acts of
humanity" that happened on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Good can triumph over evil all the time," said Elliott who was
recently in Washington D.C. to accept an international resiliency award
for town residents. Gander, with a population barely hitting 10,000,
welcomed 6,600 stranded passengers that fateful day.
Elliott told Jacobson that residents didn't need any accolades for their generosity.
'We wanted to do it'
Residents
have been singled out for their tireless efforts in making strangers
feel at home, opening their houses, filling prescriptions without charge
and making sure people felt comfortable bedding down in schools and
church halls.
"We wanted to do it. The smiles of the people who left Gander was
sufficient for us," said Elliott, who ended his speech with a quote:
'What you do for yourself dies with you but what you do for others lives
on.'"
Monica Burke, 44, a 911 dispatcher from Seattle, was one of three
strangers Beulah Cooper, 70, welcomed into her home. Burke told the
audience she has returned to Gander twice since that day, maintaining
close ties with Cooper.
Burke recalled feeling "tired, scared" and breaking down crying when
Cooper offered her shelter. "[Beulah] reminded me that kindness and
humanity can light even the coldest, darkest night."
'Light in the midst of darkness'
The province's premier, Kathy Dunderdale, said the day helped further define the friendship between Canada and the U.S.
"What binds us are the values of liberty and justice," said
Dunderdale, who exalted town residents for doing what most people in her
province consider "second nature."
"[Gander was] a beacon of light in the dark … [residents] showed the way to hope and humanity in a time of death and despair."
Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews also thanked the people of
the area for the example they set: "Places like Gander … galvanized our
resolve to be light in the midst of darkness."
And in a statement released later Sunday, Defence Minister Peter
MacKay asked Canadians to remember not just those who lost their lives
in the attacks, but also " those who sacrificed in the years since."
"Canada's soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen faced the threats that
challenged the security of our nation, accepted the fears of their
compatriots, marched to the front lines of one of the most dangerous
places on Earth and fought to defend the ideals and values that shaped
Canada and made this country great. … On behalf of all Canadians, I
thank the members of the Canadian Forces for their service, sacrifice
and selflessness."
In between speeches, the white-clad Gander Academy Grade 2 sang songs. The three-hour ceremony wrapped up with
The Last Post.
'Incredible acts of courage'
Elsewhere,
Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the Ground Zero ceremonies in
the U.S. after formally designating Sept. 11 a national day of service,
honouring both the victims and the Canadian communities who aided
stranded travellers 10 years ago.
“While
Canadians share in the grief of all those mourning loved ones lost, we
also honour the incredible acts of courage, sacrifice and kindness by
those who served in the rescue efforts,” Harper said in statement
released Sunday.
The prime minister said Canada would stand with its allies to "help ensure such a tragedy never happens again."
“Terrorism will not undermine our way of life … We will steadfastly
defend, protect and promote our democratic values and principles, the
very foundation of our free and prosperous society.”
Harper met with family members of some of Canada's 24 New York 9/11
victims on Saturday night. On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama sent a
letter to Harper thanking all Canadians for their support during that
difficult time.
"We remember with gratitude and affection how the people of Canada
offered us the comfort of friendship and extraordinary assistance that
day and in the following days by opening their airports, homes and
hearts to us," Obama wrote.
Plaque for Halifax airport
Several
other communities across Canada had unexpected visitors when U.S. air
space was shut down to all but military aircraft, with about 200 flights
diverted to Canadian airports. Many flights also ended up in Moncton,
N.B., and in Halifax, where 8,000 extra passengers showed up.
U.S. Consul-General Anton Smith presented a plaque to Halifax airport
managers early Sunday to thank employees and residents for their aid.
In Ottawa, an open-air concert "of hope and remembrance" began
precisely at 8:46 a.m., the time when the first plane hit the World
Trade Centre.
Jean Chrétien, who was prime minister when the attacks occurred,
attended the Parliament Hill event along with several hundred others.
After the concert, Chrétien recalled how tens of thousands of
Canadians turned out on Parliament Hill to express their solidarity with
Americans in the days after the terror attacks.
“We had 100,000 people on the Hill," he recalled "And the greatest
moment, when I asked for three minutes of silence, it was probably the
three minutes the most moving of my life to not hear a noise for three
minutes. People praying in their own faith for the American people."
You can read the complete article
here.
*******
On this September 11, may we remember
everything that happened -
not just the bad stuff, the deaths, the terror and the panic - but also
the love, generosity and humanity that was shown by ordinary people
dealing with extraordinary circumstances.
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