Gander: Operation Yellow Ribbon
Though I classified this articles under stories and tales. It is not a story. It is a real human story which we can all learn and inspired the goodness of the town Jander.
We know the unforgettable sad incident of September 11, 2001. Due to terrorist attack on the world trade centre on that fateful day, USA immediately made all the flights landed and also denied access to the flights from other countries. It also suggested the running flights to drop the passengers in the nearest airports.
Gander Airport of New Foundland is one of them where about 57 flights were landed. Out of these 27 flights belong to various airlines of America only. The passengers received the news of WTC incident only after the landing of these flights.
The population of Gamder is just 10400 and the passengers who are dropped there by flights are 10500! Being a small town, there are no sufficient number of hotels to accommodate all thse. So all the passengers are sent to different small towns in the surroundings.
Lewisport is a small town of these, and it accommodated the passengers of Delta Airlines. All the schools of the town are given holiday. Along with schools the community halls had given accommodation. The villagers provided the passengers cots, sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. For lonely ladies they accommodated all the ladies at one place. For family members they provided another place and the old people, pregnant ladies and patients have been provided shelter near to hospitals. All the bakeries had beek kept open to supply fresh bread.
Passengers had been taken to the picnic to the near forests. For the people who were in the schools, the natives provided food from their home.
The clothes of the passengers were left in the flights. So all were given tokens for laundry. The school students were arranged as volunteers. The guests were helped without any problem by the Lewisport people.
After three or four days the flights started one after one and the passengers of every flight were dropped well in time for their flights.
One of those flights started back was the flight from Frankfurt. After the flight started to fly, person from business class, with the permission from the pilot, announced through the public address system: "We had been accommodate by the new people of the new country for the last few days. They were very kindful to us. We should find a way to thank the people of Lewsport. Let us start a fund with our flight name: Delat 15, which can help the high school students who had served us as volunteers. They can be helped through the scholorships for joining their college. Those who want to give the amount can write down the amount in this paper againist their names".
Airhostess gave a big paper. The total of the amount pooled up was 14500 dollars. The person, who proposed had added another 14500 dollars and started the Delta 15 fund. Delta Airlines also donated 21000 dollars and the fund became a 50000 dollar fund!
Not only this! The news spread all over through radio, tv and newspapers. All the passengers of all other flights which were landed at Gander airport also sent money for this fund. And the passengers who celebrate their birthdays are also still sending money to this fund and the poor and merit students of Lewisport are helped through this fund!
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