The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

Jim DeFede

Jul 2011 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

The True Story Behind the Events on 9/11 that Inspired Broadway’s Smash Hit Musical Come from Away, Featuring All New Material from the Author

When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. airspace on September 11, the population of this small town on Newfoundland Island swelled from 10,300 to nearly 17,000. The citizens of Gander met the stranded passengers with an overwhelming display of friendship and goodwill.

As the passengers stepped from the airplanes, exhausted, hungry and distraught after being held on board for nearly 24 hours while security checked all of the baggage, they were greeted with a feast prepared by the townspeople. Local bus drivers who had been on strike came off the picket lines to transport the passengers to the various shelters set up in local schools and churches. Linens and toiletries were bought and donated. A middle school provided showers, as well as access to computers, email, and televisions, allowing the passengers to stay in touch with family and follow the news.

Over the course of those four days, many of the passengers developed friendships with Gander residents that they expect to last a lifetime. As a show of thanks, scholarship funds for the children of Gander have been formed and donations have been made to provide new computers for the schools. This book recounts the inspiring story of the residents of Gander, Canada, whose acts of kindness have touched the lives of thousands of people and been an example of humanity and goodwill.

Ratings and reviews

historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, aviation, Newfoundland, family, small-town, kindness, nonfiction, early-21st-century***** Do you know about the statue in Gander commemorating the tragedy of 12 December 1985 when Arrow Air Flight 1285R flight carrying U.S. troops from the Red Arrow Division to their home base in Fort Campbell crashed and burned about half a mile from the runway, killing all 248 passengers and 8 crew members on board? Did you know that Newfoundland did not give up its independence in 1933? But it never gave up its special niceness that is also a characteristic of the nation of Canada. But on September 11, 2001 the town of Gander, Newfoundland showed the people from all over the world who were suddenly marooned in a place not of their choice that they had integrity and selflessness as well. This book is a tribute to them and it is told by telling the tales of a few of the over 6,700 Plane People from the 67 passenger planes ordered out of the air on a day of great sorrow. This edition has more on what transpired in the twenty years since it all happened.

What an enjoyable read,,,, A followup to having watched "Come from away" in Toronto. all of the stories about support and fellowship, the great relationships developed as a result of terrible tragedy... A very heartening retelling of the events, that also restores faith in humans (and particularly Newfies), to care for one another,, just because WELL DONE Jim!!

I laughed and I cried - I could not put it down till I had read those final words. The only words to say are READ IT!!!!!

About the author

Jim DeFede has been an award-winning journalist for sixteen years, first with the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, and then with the Miami New Times. His work has appeared in Talk, The New Republic, and Newsday. He is currently a metro columnist for the Miami Herald.