The People of Gander, Newfoundland
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11 one of the first orders issued to try to get a grasp of the situation was to order all non-military aircraft in the air over the United States or heading there to get on the ground immediately, using the closest available airfield. For 38 aircraft from multiple countries that choice meant Gander, a town of about 10,000 people on the island of Newfoundland. As the planes quickly landed, the little airport was overwhelmed. Just finding ways to park the aircraft of differing types was a challenge.
Knowing that it would take many hours for all of the passengers to get through customs, Gander town officials and residents took extraordinary steps to accommodate their needs. Luggage remained on the planes, meaning prescriptions and other medications in checked baggage needed replacement. As the passengers slowly moved through customs Gander officials were so precise in their efforts to accommodate everyone that they purchased and distributed nicotine gum to the smokers among them. Gander’s pharmacists called their counterparts in many countries in order to get prescriptions filled.
But it was after passing through the gates for what became a five day stay for most passengers when the true kindness and compassion of the residents was felt. People seen walking on Gander streets were immediately asked if they needed assistance. Strangers opened their homes to others for a meal, a drink, a shower, or just to visit. Most of the deplaned passengers slept in makeshift shelters created by the town in schools, gyms, and church basements. The people of Gander fed them, casseroles and stews and soups and more arrived at the shelters on a steady pace.
They were accompanied with toiletries, candy and toys for children, offers of clothing and always with the question of; what else do you need? As the stay lengthened the residents of the town offered to take passengers on jaunts to entertain them, berry picking, sightseeing, or just strolls around town. Several barbecues were held for the passengers. Nobody in Gander would accept any money from the stranded passengers, not for any necessities, and not for any kindnesses.
The people of Gander made sure that kosher food was available for their Jewish “guests” as they called the stranded passengers, and arranged quiet places for their Muslim guests to pray in privacy. That alone was extraordinary given the circumstances which dictated their visit. On the tenth anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11 many of the stranded passengers returned to Gander and were astonished to learn that the people of the town were truly surprised at all the publicity they had received for their hospitality and graciousness. They had done everything they had because they truly believed that’s what people should do for each other.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our source:
“How Much Money Did Jonas Salk Potentially Forfeit By Not Patenting The Polio Vaccine?”, Forbes Magazine, August 8, 2012
“Sir Nicholas Winton Obituary”, by Stephen Bates, The Guardian, July 1, 2015
“John H. Patterson: Pioneer in Industrial Welfare”, by Samuel Crowther, 1923
“Japanese pensioners volunteer to tackle nuclear crisis”, by Roland Buerk, BBC News, May 31, 2011
“Truce in the Forest”, by Fritz Vincken, online
“Millard Fuller”, The Fuller Center for Housing, online
“Richard Kirkland, the Humane Hero of Fredericksburg”, by J. B. Kershaw, letter to the Charleston, South Carolina News and Courier, January 2, 1880
“Danny Thomas and St. Jude”, The National Shrine of St. Jude, online
“An oasis of kindness on 9/11: This town welcomed 6,700 strangers amid terror attacks”, by Katherine Lackey, USA Today, September 8, 2017