Family From Away

November 1, 2026

When U.S. and Canadian airspace shut down on 9/11, Newfoundland Knights opened their hearts and homes to scores of stranded passengers

By Elisha Valladares-Cormier

November 1, 2026

Crew members, passengers and Red Cross volunteers gather before the last of the diverted flights departs Gander on Sept. 16, 2001. (Photo courtesy of the Town of Gander)

At the start of Sept. 11, 2001, the biggest crisis facing Gander, a sleepy town in the northeastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador, was the ongoing strike of its school bus drivers. Pat Woodford was preparing to rest before his afternoon shift as an air traffic controller at Gander International Airport when his wife, Glenda, called. “Turn on the TV,” she said, just after 10:15 a.m. Gander time (90 minutes ahead of Eastern time).

That’s when Woodford, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, first learned that a plane had inexplicably crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Upon seeing the second plane hit soon after, he knew his day would not be business as usual.

Over the next several hours, more than 220 aircraft, mostly U.S.-bound, carrying over 33,000 passengers were rerouted to 17 airports across Canada as airspace in both countries was shut down to prevent any further threats. In Gander, a town of fewer than 10,000 residents, 38 planes carrying nearly 6,600 passengers and crew members had landed at its international airport by the time Woodford arrived for his shift around 4 p.m.

As passengers and crew deplaned on Sept. 12, the immediate and generous hospitality of Gander’s residents was on full display for the “come from aways,” as outsiders are colloquially called in the region. Passengers received free room and board at countless homes, churches and community organizations, including Father McCormack Council 5769, which hosted more than 150 passengers from American Airlines Flight 49 until they departed Sept. 15.

Pat Woodford, Newfoundland and Labrador state warden, speaks with Beverly Bass, a retired American Airlines pilot who landed in Gander after 9/11 — Pat Woodford, Newfoundland and Labrador state warden, speaks with Beverley Bass, a retired American Airlines pilot who landed in Gander after 9/11, during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, on Sept. 11, 2026. (Photo by Scott Cook)

Twenty-five years later, the hands-on response of Canadian communities in welcoming stranded passengers continues to speak volumes about the solidarity shared between Canada and the United States after 9/11. The charitable efforts in Gander, in particular, were later immortalized in the Broadway musical Come from Away, and Council 5769 would receive the 2002 International Service Award for Community Activities for its contribution.

“We commemorate what happened on Sept. 11,” said Woodford, who served as Council 5769’s deputy grand knight in 2001. “We celebrate what happened from Sept. 12-15. The people of Gander stepped up, and it was really special.”

UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS

Gander was once a popular refueling hub for transatlantic flights. But most of the passengers on American Airlines Flight 49 from Paris, France, to Dallas-Fort Worth had likely never heard of it before their flight made a sudden course change.

Rose Reyes was traveling back to Texas after vacationing in Paris with her best friend, Anna de Haro, to celebrate their 40th birthdays — de Haro’s was in June, and Reyes’ on Sept. 13. Reyes was looking forward to celebrating with her family after her arrival, but all that changed with a sudden and rather direct announcement from the cockpit: “Due to a crisis in the United States, we are landing in Gander, Newfoundland.”

Planes line a runway at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland after being diverted there following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Photo courtesy of the Town of Gander)

Passengers began speculating about what the crisis might be — had the president been assassinated, or was the United States at war? Even after landing in Gander, they were largely in the dark. Information was slow to trickle in, and passengers on the 38 aircraft could not deplane until their flights were cleared by security and local accommodations for passengers and crew were identified.

“There were people running out of medication, babies that needed formula,” Reyes recalled. “We were all anxious to get off the plane, but we were also freaked out about what was going on.”

With the tarmac packed with planes, Woodford had resumed his air traffic controller duties. Pilots constantly radioed controllers to request information about the attacks, but Woodford and his colleagues were ordered to say nothing for the time being. Still, requests for food, water — and especially for their lavatory tanks to be emptied — poured in.

“At one point, I lost communications with one or two of the aircraft on the field,” Woodford said. “We reported that to the emergency command center, and they treated it as possible hijacked aircraft.”

During his scheduled breaks, Woodford volunteered as a disaster manager with the Canadian Red Cross. He’d go down into the airport and help register deplaning passengers and set out food brought by locals — whatever was needed.

As midnight approached, Woodford met Captain Beverley Bass, pilot of American Airlines Flight 49, which had just received word that it would soon be able to deplane its passengers. Bass was searching for a rental car to transport herself and the crew to a hotel, but none were available. Without hesitation, Woodford offered his new pickup truck — a gesture that would become commonplace throughout Gander over the next few days.

“Are you crazy?” Bass asked him. “Aren’t you afraid I might steal your truck?”

“Well,” replied Woodford, “I live on an island, so where do you plan on going?”

Before the sun rose on Sept. 12, plans were in place for Bass’ 156 passengers to be housed at Council 5769’s home corporation building. Knights had already spent hours preparing the space, and school bus drivers paused their strike to help transport passengers to the council home. By that time, the passengers had been on the plane for about 28 hours.

NEWFIE HOSPITALITY

The Flight 49 passengers were tired and hungry, and their only official source of information about the attacks was BBC radio. Though they had carry-on items, their checked luggage — clothes, toiletries and more — had to stay on the plane. To lighten the mood, Reyes and de Haro sang “Refugee” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: “You see you don’t have to live like a refugee.”

“But then the Red Cross greeted us with bags filled with shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and shaving razors,” de Haro recalled. “It was like, ‘Oh, we are like refugees.’”

As soon as they arrived at the council hall, the passengers huddled around two TVs to watch news coverage in French and English. It was the first time any of them had seen footage of the attack and destruction.

“It was a slap in the face,” de Haro said. “You could hear what happened (on the radio), and then you see the images, and it was heartbreaking.”

Passengers use phone banks near Council 6792’s hall to call loved ones after arriving in Gander. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Waddle)

While passengers got their bearings, Knights helped them feel at home. Grand Knight Joe Philpott, a teacher at St. Paul’s Intermediate School, was helping receive passengers at the school and came to the council hall when he could, so Woodford helped coordinate the K of C efforts. Eugene Broderick, a chef at James Paton Memorial Hospital, led members of the Catholic Women’s League and other volunteers in the kitchen, and other Knights provided musical entertainment in the following days.

“We had people coming to the building with sleeping bags and pillows and blankets and everything you could imagine that was needed by these unexpected visitors,” said Philpott.

The same hospitality was evident all over Gander. The town’s community center was opened for people to shower, and phone banks were set up so passengers could reassure loved ones at home. Thousands of prescriptions were filled at local pharmacies at no cost, and Gander’s ovens worked around the clock to provide meals. The community ice rink essentially became a walk-in fridge to store perishables.

Seeking some normalcy, Reyes and de Haro went to a local salon for a mani-pedi, where the staff treated them like royalty and even drove them to Walmart for pajamas. That evening, they joined hundreds of others at St. Joseph Parish for a special Mass that Council 5769 helped organize. Father David Heale, pastor and council chaplain, preached on peace and forgiveness.

“This little church was jam-packed,” said de Haro, whose father and several uncles were members of the Knights in Texas. “At the end of Mass, they sang ‘God Bless America,’ and there was not a dry eye at all.”

That night, Council 5769 prepared a stuffed chicken dinner for the hungry passengers. Woodford was making the rounds and began conversing with a woman traveling alone. “I need to get to Germany,” she said. “But there’s no flights,” Woodford responded. “Yeah, but I really need to get to Germany,” she said.

The passenger was U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Barbara Fast, intelligence director for the joint U.S. European Command, who oversaw information gathering in more than 90 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She had been traveling to Dallas to visit family but now needed to return to her critical post.

Woodford made inquiries on her behalf, and that evening, Canadian military officials contacted Gen. Fast to arrange for her transfer to a secure location before she took a secret flight back to Germany.

FAMILY DEPARTURE

As Fast departed with the Canadian military, she sent back a note thanking the Knights for their hospitality. “In a moment when terrorism and madness held court,” she wrote, “you and the citizens of the greater Gander area proved that there is a greater good in our world. ... In this hour of tragedy, our bright light will be the memories of our warm reception in Gander.”

The remaining passengers made the best of the situation, unsure when they could fly home. De Haro, then a morning radio personality in Dallas, called her station with live news reports. Others explored the surrounding area or shared wine they had brought back from France. Passengers from other flights expressed lighthearted jealousy upon meeting them, having heard of the generous meals prepared by the Knights.

Art Mullaly, a member of Council 5769 in Gander, embraces American Airlines Flight 49 passenger Anna de Haro. — Art Mullaly, a member of Council 5769 in Gander, embraces American Airlines Flight 49 passenger Anna de Haro while they prepare breakfast for other passengers at the council hall in September 2001. (Photo courtesy of Anna de Haro)

At dinner on Sept. 13, the second full day in Gander, the Knights served another abundant feast. They also prepared a birthday cake and sang for Reyes, who turned 40 that day. Separated from her husband and three children, Reyes was touched by the gesture.

“They threw me the sweetest birthday party,” she said. “It was just a beautiful experience during a very difficult time.”

Many Knights and parishioners — among other Ganderites — opened their own homes to passengers who didn’t want to stay in the hall or who just wanted a private shower and change of scenery.

“I took six people into my home, and another Knight took 11,” said Woodford. “All of our members — not only did they take people in, but they kept coming back to serve at the council home.”

Captain Bass and her crew visited the hall twice a day to check in and provide updates on when the flight could take off for Dallas; it was one of the last to arrive, so it would be among the last to leave. Finally, on Sept. 15, American Airlines Flight 49 was cleared to depart Gander. As Woodford and others noted at the time, it was like saying goodbye to family members.

Woodford stayed in touch with a few passengers he had hosted, but he and his wife built an especially close bond with Bass — American Airlines’ first female captain — and her husband, Tom, even vacationing at each other’s homes. They reunited, as did many others, during events in Newfoundland this September commemorating 9/11.

The ceremonies were held amid increased tension between the U.S. and Canadian governments, and some protested the presence of the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra. But for Woodford, now an elected Gander town councillor and Newfoundland and Labrador state warden, the legacy of Gander’s 9/11 response transcends politics.

Pat Woodford (right), Newfoundland and Labrador state warden and a Gander town councillor, greets Pete Hoekstra, U.S. ambassador to Canada. — Pat Woodford (right), Newfoundland and Labrador state warden and a Gander town councillor, greets Pete Hoekstra, U.S. ambassador to Canada, following a commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in Appleton, Newfoundland, in September. (Photo by Scott Cook)

“On 9/11, we didn’t ask anyone what their political patronage was, or their religious beliefs,” Woodford said. “We just welcomed them into our town and our homes. And today, we’d do the exact same thing.”

As they boarded the flight out of Gander in 2001, each passenger received miniature U.S., Canadian and Newfoundland flags. Anna de Haro also grabbed a stuffed moose named Gander from the airport gift shop. Twenty-five years later, that moose is still displayed in her room, a daily reminder of the compassion complete strangers can have for people in need — especially on a nation’s hardest day.

*****

ELISHA VALLADARES-CORMIER is senior editor of Columbia and a member of Fremont (Ohio) Council 591.

Father Ihor Makar preaches during Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God in Zelenivka, Ukraine, on March 29.

Family From Away

UNEXPECTED ARRIVALS

NEWFIE HOSPITALITY

FAMILY DEPARTURE

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