911 Remembered, 20 Years Later

Linda’s Monday Morning Moaning’s

Saturday marked the twentieth time that September 11th has come round the calendar, saying anniversary usually denotes something worth celebrating this surely was not. September 11, 2001, like many other important dates that we remember in history, is a date that needs remembering by us that lived through it, and those not born at the time.

I was at Life Time Fitness, coming into the locker room to get my things and seeing on what at that time was an unusually large television screen showing what was happening at the Twin Towers in New York. I like everyone, that was soon gathering around this set, were in a saddened shock, for what we all realized was the terrible trauma that so many people in those towers surely where enduring. All I could think of was gong home and being with my family and realizing how lucky I was that I had them.

By the time of the fifth calendar year in 2006, I also had endured a loss for me of such magnitude, that my understanding and empathy was even stronger for the survivors, parents, husbands, wives and children whose lives had changed so horribly with their losses on that day.

As what was my usual response to most historical instances, I needed to know more, and over the years read many books and watched programs that would try and give me the best ability to understand and learn in some small way, WHY? I found over the years I would purchase the ‘911 Never Forget’ pins from a jeweler in Pennsylvania who was selling them at cost to help the Garden of Reflection in Shanksville as a memorial to Flight 93. They’re great work over these past twenty years has raised an enormous amount of money to help the many people effected by the 911 terror of that day and now the garden will be taken care of in perpetuity.

For the First Responders on 911 that survived the towers collapsing, but have suffered for these past twenty years from 911 with reoccurring health ailments that have plagued many of them and added to the amount of loss that was suffered that original day. These are people that gave so much thought those first days, and need the help from our government with medical, for the help they gave. Many are medically suffering greatly.

On that day, it was soon realized that clearing the sky’s of planes was paramount. Soon the United States Federal Aviation Administration, commonly known as the FAA, closed all US airspace, not knowing what might be coming in on other planes still in the air. As part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, Gander International Airport would need to divert 224 wide body airplanes that were past the ‘turn around point’ away from the US, and land them in small air ports in Canada near the eastern seaboard. They managed this in only 4 hours.

Gander, itself accepted 38 previously unscheduled planes. Most of these people, passengers and crews would be stranded there until the United States reopened airspace nearly a week later.

Gander had a population of about 10,000 people and now had 6,800 visitors. The book this comes from ‘The Day The World Came To Town, 911 in Gander Newfoundland’ by Jim Defoe, is a wonderful complete story of how the people of Gander opened up their homes and lives to help people from all over the world in a completely selfless way. After the tragedy of 911, this book brings the most heart warming story and what can bring people together at the most difficult times in their lives. If you are interested in a wonderful read, this is my suggestion, for the full story.

This week I close with a sadden heart, but with hope for our future.

---

Thank you for visiting and reading today. Be sure to share with your friends using the share button below. If you haven’t already please enter your email address in the form below to receive my stories by email.