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

“We realized that we were part of the global village, as my children used to say. What is happening in one part of the globe is affecting all of us.”

Jean Chretien, the Canadian Prime Minster in office on September 11, 2001, made these remarks when DeFede asked him to comment on the “legacy of September 11” (8). Chretien’s response reflects the book’s title, The Day the World Came to Town. That day, passengers from all over the world converged in Newfoundland, a place that many considered geographically isolated and culturally homogenous. September 11 showed Gander and the world how interconnected all people really are.

“For the better part of a week, nearly every man, woman, and child in Gander and the surrounding smaller towns […] 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.”

Repeatedly, passengers stranded in Gander remarked on the extraordinary hospitality of the local communities. Strangers gave them unprecedented trust and generosity. The book develops this theme through vignettes exploring interactions between locals and passengers and the long-term relationships they developed during the five intense days.

“Without being called, off-duty controllers started arriving at the center within a half hour of the attacks. Eventually every controller working a screen had at least one backup and a supervisor to help.”

The book illuminates the intense pressure that air traffic controllers faced on September 11. The closing of US airspace meant that Canada was also under threat: No one knew whether passengers on planes still in the air were planning an attack, and some suspected they did. In addition to the existential threat was the practical problem of rerouting hundreds of planes without any accidents. Rather than exhibit reticence or fear, however, off-duty controllers threw themselves into the task with focus, confidence, and calm, exemplifying the spirit of the people of Newfoundland throughout the crisis and its immediate aftermath.