For passengers who had been diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, things began looking up when residents of Gander and its neighboring towns showed up at the airport and delivered food, clothing, and supplies to the planes. While they were doing that, other residents of Gander were creating makeshift shelters in schools, legion halls, and community centers where the passengers would stay once they were allowed off their planes.
Gander's bus drivers, who at the time were on strike, even returned to work in order to take the passengers to shelters. They just welcomed us Also onboard the Continental flight was British businessman Nick Marson. He and Diane Kirschke were taken to the same shelter located around 30 miles outside of Gander.
There, Nick and Diane struck up a conversation and before they knew it, they were taking part in a Newfoundland tradition that involved drinking a lot of alcohol and kissing a cod fish, presumably a dead one.
The Newfoundlanders also took their unexpected guests on outings to local spots. After five days, the Gander passengers were finally allowed to leave and return to their homes. Nick and Diane continued their flight to Houston, where Nick spent a couple of days conducting his business and the pair had several dinners together. When he flew home to Britain, Nick found that he couldn't forget Diane, and less than two months later, he persuaded his employer to transfer him to Houston, and he proposed to Diane.
They were married a year after they had first met, and there was no question as to where they wanted to honeymoon — Gander. While Nick and Diane thought they'd meet up quietly with some of the Gander residents who had been so kind to them, instead, they walked into what Nick described to CNN as, " Nav Canada reported that a total of airplanes carrying between 30, and 45, passengers were diverted to 17 different airports across Canada.
The U. The airports at Edmonton and Halifax even published some of those letters of thanks in their annual reports. Halifax had the most planes with 47, while Vancouver had the most passengers with 8, The logistics of feeding and temporarily housing all these people presented a challenge. But no community was more challenged than Gander, N.
The population of Gander was 10, The people were put up in school gyms, churches, community centres and homes. Citizens donated clothes and bedding, and pharmacies filled prescriptions for free. The school bus drivers, who were on strike, laid down their pickets and ferried people wher e they needed to go. A group of people flying home from Gander after six days decided to repay that hospitality by setting up a scholarship fund for local students.
Another uplifting result was the hit musical Come from Away , which dramatized the Gander experience. Its Broadway debut was in and it became the longest running Canadian play on the Great White Way, and was nominated for seven Tony Awards. It has since played around the world to sold-out audiences, reminding them of the generosity of the human spirit. Get the latest stories on military history, veterans issues and Canadian Armed Forces delivered to your inbox. Legion Magazine is published six times a year in English with a French insert.
Legion Magazine is published by Canvet Publications Ltd. Facebook-f Twitter Youtube Podcast. Operation Yellow Ribbon. September 10, by Don Gillmor. A grounded airplane at Gander International Airport on Sept. Aircraft in U.
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All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions. The film features extensive local and home video. And, in September , Tom Brokaw traveled to Gander with several of the grateful Americans who are featured in the story. NBC chose this story because it highlights the special relationship between Canadians and Americans and the grace and spirit and generosity of the Canadian people.
ET and Sunday at p. Viewers who wish to contact the people of Gander can reach out to the Town Hall Web site or to the local newspaper, the Gander Beacon. Viewers interested in contributing to the scholarship fund can click here.
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