Posted on 09/07/2011 4:09:50 PM PDT by Squawk 8888
OTTAWA - Little Gander, N.L., will get big praise Thursday at a prestigious 9-11 anniversary summit in Washington, D.C.
The town of 10,000, which rallied to house and feed 6,500 stranded passengers for several days after North American airspace was shut down in the hours following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, will receive the International Resilience Award from the Center for National Policy.
"The story is an amazing one. The townspeople, with literally no warning, took into their homes 6,500 passengers who were strangers in need at a time of crisis," said Scott Bates, the centre's vice-president.
"For us, this is a moment of community heroism," Bates said. "It's something that we want to showcase so that people in the United States remember what Canada did for us and also, perhaps more importantly, how Gander is an example of how communities across North America should respond in a time of crisis.
"Rather than coming apart, they came together."
Zane Tucker, Gander's deputy mayor, said the town is humbled by the recognition of its efforts 10 years ago.
"We didn't do it to be recognized, or for thanks or accolades, but it is humbling that people still remember what Gander did 10 years afterwards," he said from Gander Wednesday. "One thing that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are known for is their generous hospitality. What happened in Gander 10 years ago just exemplified the spirit that we as a province have."
Gander has been given two pieces of twisted steel from the World Trade Center wreckage as recognition of the town's gallant efforts in the aftermath of 9-11. The second piece arrived Wednesday, and Tucker said the twisted steel will be housed at the town's aviation museum as part of the 9-11 display.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay is also expected to give a keynote address at the summit in D.C. Thursday.
In the hours following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, some 38 transatlantic flights were diverted to Gander. Newfoundland took in almost half of all the flights rerouted to Canada from U.S. destinations when North American airspace was shut down on Sept. 11, 2001.
Newfies rock, b’y!
They were magnificent.
There was a wonderful special done on CBS’s 60-Minutes, I believe, profiling the Gander, Newfoundland community and how they rose to the challenge on 9-11. Such incredibly, wonderfully good people Newfoundlanders are. I’m so proud and privileged to share the Newfoundland heritage through my mother, and am so grateful to have been born in St. John’s and to have been able to visit time and time again the land of my birth. Even so, I am an American, through and through. Newfie by birth-AMERICAN by heart and soul! ... and citizenship, of course!
Been stranded there before due weather an was always treated well...
i remember this when it was happening...i espeically remember one bus driver who was volunteering driving people around say, “we like to do nice things for nice people- especially Americans!”...
God Bless them
It took only 10 years? What a country!
The formal name of the province,since December 6th, 2001, is now “The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador”, hence the “NL”.
A slight, almost imperceptible tearing up from this corner. None of the elite high faluting professional America haters there in that province. Not damn well needed either. Peter McKay is doing all right. Not a suave well polished politician himself, one can be sure when one sees and hears the man, that is who he is.
Will be with you in spirit Thursday.
wow- i found the video i remembered from 9-11 with the bus driver almost verbatim...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxaxrlusQC8
God willing, I will be sailing up there next summer. Ever since 9-11 I’ve promised myself I would visit and say thank you some day.
Thanks for the ping, Squawk 8888,
I remember the show...I think it was the National Geographic channel..check their website..it may be archived...
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