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

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So, do I recommend The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede? Short answer – Yes! This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read this year. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are in need of a dose of humanity at it’s finest! On 9/11/01, after four commercial planes were used as weapons by terrorists and were crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, the airspace over the US was shut down. Planes already in the air had to find the nearest airport and land. Immediately. Planes coming in from other countries were redirected to Canadian airports. 38 planes landed at a small airport in Gander, Newfoundland, depositing 6,597 people in a town that had barely 10,000 people. Over three nights they went through more than two hundred cases of beer, more kegs than they could count, and enough hard liquor to embalm a herd of moose.”

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What we don’t get to find out is whether any of the friendships made during that extraordinary period continued once the crisis was over. That omission doesn’t detract from what is otherwise a fine piece of journalism, but would have made a fitting ending. The Day The World Came To Town by Jim Defede: FootnotesWhen 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. The Day the World Came to Town opens with a history of the town and an explanation of the strategic military and commercial importance of Gander International Airport. On September 11, DeFede reports that Gander, with a population of approximately 10,000, accepted 38 previously unscheduled planes carrying approximately 6,800 passengers and crew, most of which were stranded there until U.S. airspace reopened nearly a week later. [3] When the townspeople realized what was happening, they immediately welcomed and cared for the passengers and crew, providing places to stay, food to eat, clothes, other necessities and most of all, friendship. All the animals in the cargo holds were also cared for. Prescriptions were obtained for the passengers free of charge, rides were offered to wherever they needed to go, showers in private homes were offered for use, as were telephones, computers and fax machines.

The Day the World Came to Town [Book Review - Reading Ladies The Day the World Came to Town [Book Review - Reading Ladies

Every year, around September, I start to refresh my memory of the stories of 9/11. Whether it is reading books (this year I read 102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers), shows on TV about the events of that day, or reading articles online. While I was doing some of that this year I turned to my wife and asked if she heard about the story of the city in Canada where all the incoming planes from Europe had to land? A few years ago, one of the shows I watched about 9/11 discussed the city, but I hadn’t heard much more about it since then. She hadn’t, but thought it sounded interesting. Written with humanity and humility, the book is a must read. This was also part of the inspiration for the Broadway play "Come From Away"- which was great. This play was filmed and shown on television free of charge to anyone during covid, to make a point. One stranded couple DeFede follows had a family member who was thought to be at the Trade Center. For days they were unable to get information about their loved one but their hosts in Gander never stopped trying and ultimately succeeded in learning his fate. The animals stowed in cargo were treated with tender loving care. Some inhabitants turned their entire houses over to passengers, with instructions to take what they wanted and just close the door on their way out. In this small town solutions were found and accommodations made for an Orthodox Jew and a number of passengers who spoke no English.You might be interested in the musical: Come From Away (based on the events in Gander) currently streaming on AppleTV+. Meet the Author, Jim DeFede Jim DeFede is a broadcast journalist who works as an investigative reporter for CBS4 News in Miami Florida and also hosts the station’s Sunday morning public affairs programme. An incredible and mammoth challenge. And one never to be forgotten by the passengers from so many countries in the world. the author spoke of Boze headphones they'd taken from the plane; if these are the ones I'm thinking of, the company is called Bose, not Boze.

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It is an easy read, it only took me a couple of days to whip through it. But, you will be left thinking about these lives that were affected. People in Gander are just like us. Life in Gander is not perfect. The people who live and work there get divorced and struggle with unemployment, failed friendships, alcoholism, and drug abuse…. Nevertheless, given all those human frailities, what happened in Gander is still remarkable. And perhaps the lesson isn’t that these acts of kindness occurred because Gander is a magial place, but rather that the people came together in a time of crisis regardless of their own personal shortcomings. And if that’s the case, then it offers hope that all of us have that ability within us.” ~Author They always ask why we did it. They can’t figure it out. And I tell them that for us, it’s normal. I’m still not sure what all the fuss is about.” Catholic church parishioners lead by Beulah Cooper and Tom Mercer opening their doors and homes to stranded Aer Lingus passengers, showing compassion to Dennis and Hannah O’Donohue, whose son Kevin was among the NY firefighters assigned to cover the Twin Towers. Every time the narrative turned to Hannah I needed to have tissues near by.

They placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked for nothing in return. They affirmed the basic goodness of man at a time when it was easy to doubt such humanity still existed.” When everyone was in a state of sadness, confusion, worry….this town took on the burden of everyone there.” In the book The Day the World Came to Town Jim DeFede tells the story of how the roughly 10,000 residents of Gander, Newfoundland spent 9/11 and the days immediately following when 6,132 passengers were diverted to their town. U.S. airspace had been shut down and 38 international flights found a new arrival destination in Gander. Overnight the population of this small town nearly doubled. Diapers, prescriptions, food, lodging, and many more needs had to be met. Instead of reacting negatively to these unexpected strangers, these Newfies chose to look for ways to make their visitors’ stay a positive one. I was inspired to read about real people giving in a real way. PDF / EPUB File Name: The_Day_the_World_Came_to_Town_911_in_Gander_Newfoundland_-_Jim_DeFede.pdf, The_Day_the_World_Came_to_Town_911_in_Gander_Newfoundland_-_Jim_DeFede.epub