Gander & America: A Friendship that goes Beyond 911
This past week, Gander International Airport and the Town of Gander unveiled its 9/11 Community Mosaic Mural. A creative collaboration by its residents, the stunning mural “offers a lasting tribute to Gander’s response during the extraordinary days after 9/11 and to the community spirit that continues to define the town.”
This piece is a tribute to the people of Gander who have, since the town's very earliest days, gone above and beyond to help strangers in need.
In the 1930’s this area of central Newfoundland consisted of a lake, a thick unpopulated forest, and milepost 213 of the Newfoundland Railway. That was it!
But somebody had a vision…
Passenger aviation across the Atlantic didn’t yet exist, and the island of Newfoundland had close proximity to Europe. Also at this time, there were concerns about a potential war in Europe…
Long story short, the airport was built in the mid-to-late 1930’s. Since there was no war at the time, nor any passenger planes flying across the Atlantic, some said the project was “the biggest gamble ever taken in aviation history”. As has often been said, "If you build it they will come."
Gander Airport became a major military base during WWII and was used by the Royal Air Force, Canadian Air Force and the United States Air Force. From Gander, Allies defended the north Atlantic against enemy submarines and helped guide their ships safely across the ocean. (My grandfather was captain of an escort ship during the Battle of the North Atlantic.)
After the war, Gander airport was used for refueling all trans-Atlantic flights. It became one of the largest airports in the world and was often called the “Crossroads of the World”. Over three and a half million passengers stopped there in the first few decades of operation.
Gander has long welcomed the world, but today the airport is used mostly for domestic flights and military stopovers.
One such stopover was December 12, 1985, when the 101st Airborne Division was returning to Fort Campbell, Kentucky after a 6-month peacekeeping mission on the Sinai Peninsula. Tragedy struck as they were lifting off for the final leg of their journey home. Arrow Air Flight 1285 crashed onto the northern bank of Gander Lake.
Local emergency personnel tore through the brush to get to the scene, but unfortunately there were no survivors. The loss of those 236 “Screaming Angels” was the most devastating single-day loss in the history of the 101st Airborne Division”. In all, 256 Americans died that day.
After the crash, the people of Gander did what was right. They tended to the scene with loving care and they grieved and prayed for hundreds of Americans they did not know.
Gander has since built a memorial park, The Silent Witness, on the site of the crash so that loved ones visiting from the U.S. can find comfort. The memorial statue shows a peacekeeping soldier and two children. It faces southwest to Fort Campbell, where a replica faces Gander.
Newfoundlanders helped the American families during this dark time and the communities have since forged a unique friendship.
The care and hospitality shown by Gander after 911 is but another example of these people helping strangers in need.
As a Newfoundlander living across the river from the World Trade Center on that awful day, I
especially appreciate their actions.
As someone who brought a busload of friends and family to see Come From Away in New York City, I celebrate the infectious goodness of the play as well as every positive vibe that comes to this airport town.
And as someone who grew up an hour west of Gander, I know of other times when Newfoundlanders – and especially Ganderites - interrupted their day-to-day life to help strangers "from away".
Now to Gander’s beautiful new mural that was created by many community members…
As a native Canadian and naturalized American living through current unprecedented events, I treasure the vision of love and friendship that this newest work of art represents. Until I get to see the mural in person, I will hold the image of it in my heart.
Long may the community spirit of “The Crossroads of the World” leave a lasting impression on people near and far.
Josette Abruzzini is an educator, writer and poet who builds bridges and nudges perspectives.
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