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The Day Canadians Opened Their Homes To Americans

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An argument sometimes heard in U.S. political circles is that other countries “take advantage” of Americans. Anyone who makes that argument has never heard the story of how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland, opened their hearts and homes to stranded Americans after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center and another plane hit the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration closed U.S. airspace. In a phone call, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta ordered, “Get those goddamn planes down.”

Planes en route to the United States needed a place to go, and many landed in Canada. How were these American refugees treated when they landed in a foreign land?

On September 11, 2001, 6,595 passengers and crew from 38 flights landed in Gander, Newfoundland, a town with approximately10,000 residents, according to Jim DeFede, author of The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

The passengers who could find a TV or radio listened to the words of President George W. Bush. “America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world,” said President Bush. “And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature.”

The Americans on the plane did not realize that soon they would also see the best of human nature.

After going through Canadian customs, the passengers went to makeshift facilities that the town of Gander put together to help the passengers. Within hours, the first sign arrived of how Canadians would treat the group of primarily American passengers left stranded by world events.

Americans Clark and Roxanne Loper, along with a newly adopted child, wandered through the local Lions club, which was housing airline passengers. A Gander resident Roxanne never met asked if the couple needed a ride to the store. Since the luggage of her and other passengers remained on the plane, she welcomed the offer.

At the store, Canadians asked if they were “plane people” and offered condolences once confirming the passengers were Americans. Once back at the Lions Club, a stranger asked Roxanne if she wanted to take a shower, even though there appeared to be no showers at the Lions Club.

“No, you can come over to my house and shower,” said the woman. Roxanne and Clark were grateful and accepted the offer.

When Americans Lisa Zale and business associate Sara Wood needed supplies, they went to Canadian Tire, a chain retail store that sells a variety of goods. When they rolled their well-packed cart to the front prepared to pay, the cashier asked if they were from one of the planes. “When Zale and Wood nodded, the cashier announced that they could just take the items,” writes LeDede. “Anything the stranded passengers needed, the store was happy to provide.”

LeDede reports other businesses in town also chipped in to help passengers, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, local Subways and even pizza places, all of which sent food to help stranded passengers.

Local pharmacists supplied medicine to passengers who needed medication, since many prescriptions were locked in luggage on the planes. “For [pharmacist Kevin] O’Brien, an event like this was the reason he loved living in Gander. A Newfoundlander all his life, he was proud of the ways his community would pull together and help one another – or for that matter, a complete stranger.”

Canadians didn’t help only people. Local resident Bonnie Harris went into the lower compartments of planes to feed stranded pets. She convinced authorities to place the pets in an empty airport hangar, and she and others in the town pitched in to buy food and care for the animals.

Many people in Gander opened their homes and gave passengers a place to sleep. The president of the local airport authority was surprised when he came home late and planned to sleep in the guest room so as not to disturb his wife. He was surprised to find an older woman he didn’t know already sleeping there.

The townspeople helped children cope by organizing a large party, complete with games, a cake and costumed characters. The store manager at the local Canadian Tire located toys at a warehouse and borrowed a fire truck to collect stuffed animals and other items to hand out to displaced children. One couple recalls carrying a child down the street when a Canadian woman ran out and gave her a stroller.

The principal opened the local school to stranded passengers to allow them to use the computers to contact loved ones in America or elsewhere. Residents of the town stripped their beds of sheets and donated them to local shelters.

Denise Gray-Felder, who worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, noticed the towels people donated for passengers. “She asked one of the women how everyone was going to reclaim their towels once the passengers left,” writes LeDede. “The woman looked at her as if it was an odd question. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. The selflessness of the townspeople gave Gray-Felder chills.”

Americans may not remember that the only time members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization invoked NATO’s collective defense provision was following the September 11, 2001, attacks. According to the Atlantic Council, “Since 2001, U.S. NATO allies have lost more than 1,000 troops in Afghanistan.”

U.S. Army Brigadier General Barbara Fast was a passenger on one of the planes that landed in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. After arriving in Canada, she contacted her staff and received information about the attack on the Pentagon. “When the final lists were released, she counted several friends among those who died [that day],” writes LeDede.

On September 12, 2001, Canadian Air Force Lt. Col. Peter McKeage found General Fast and took her to a Canadian air base, where she could use secure communications. “Driving to the Canadian Air Force base, Fast commented to McKeage on how wonderful everyone in the town had been. It made her feel part of a family.” McKeage replied, “We’re all Americans tonight.”

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