September 11, 2001 is unforgettable. We will always remember where we were and what we were doing the moment we heard the news that planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.
I was awakened by a friend’s phone call a little after 7:00 a.m. and immediately made calls to other friends. Mesmerized by the unfolding, upsetting scenes on television, I could hardly function – nor could the handyman, who had come to put in my patio. We stood together in my study watching the news with tears as we hugged each other.
It was a day that shattered walls, both external and internal, as people throughout the U.S. and the world came together to pray or to help out in whatever way they could. This tragedy brought people together in a way that most had not experienced in their life time.
On this 11th anniversary, as I was thinking about the feelings and experience of that day and its aftermath, a friend shared this story. I had been so focused on what was happening in our country that I somehow missed this amazing story of what occured in Gander, Newfoundland. Not only was the story a remarkable act of kindness from an entire town, but an inspiring example of the ripple effects of kindness.
I would like to thank Nazim, the flight attendant on Delta Flight 15 who wrote and shared this story. (It has been condensed for this newsletter):
“On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic….All of a sudden, the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit immediately to see the captain, who handed me a printed message….All airways over the continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport.” The nearest airport was in Gander, New Foundland.
Initially, the passengers were told that there was an instrument problem, but when they landed there were already 20 other airplanes on the ground from around the world. The captain said, “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for a different reason…” There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief as the passengers heard the news of the collapse of the World Trade Center. The captain informed passengers that “Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.” But they had promised us medical attention, water, and lavatory servicing.
Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S. commercial jets. “Passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.”
“About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th, a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.”
We were told that Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of. …the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the ‘plane people.’”
This is what happened during the next two days: “Gander and all the surrounding communities had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags.”
“ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the ‘guests’. … Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes….Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S and around the world were available to everyone once a day. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. Everyone was given tokens for laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. …every single need was met for those stranded travelers. Passengers were crying while telling their stories. When passengers re-boarded, they had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers and addresses.
“And then on Flight 15 a very unusual thing happened. One of the passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never allow that, but this was different. I said, ‘of course’ and handed him the mike.”
This man reminded everyone of what they had gone through and the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers. He wanted to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte (where Flight 15 passengers had been taken).
He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of Delta 15 to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte. He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations came back with amounts and names, the total was for more than $14,000!
“The gentleman, an MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarships and to forward the proposal to Delta Corporate. As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than 1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.
“This story gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world….and when things get bad, people will come forward.”
What was your experience of 9-11?
How has it touched your life?
Please share in the comments section below…
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