PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFTS) — On Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of passengers were in the sky. Following the attacks, U.S. airspace was shut down, and all planes were forced to land. Some international flights headed to the U.S. were able to turn around, but more than 30,000 passengers were on planes past the point of no return.
WATCH: Marine stranded in Gander after 9/11 remembers Canadian hospitality
Marine First Lt. Greg Curtis was one of them.
Curtis was returning home from a six-month tour in Bosnia, somewhere over the Atlantic, when the attacks happened. While he heard descriptions of what was unfolding, he had no way to see it — and nothing could prepare him for the moment he finally did.
Around 250 flights were forced to divert to Canada after U.S. airspace closed. Canada initiated Operation Yellow Ribbon to manage the diversions, grounding aircraft at 17 airports across the country.
Gander International Airport in Newfoundland played a pivotal role. Once a critical World War II refueling stop because of its strategic location as the easternmost point in North America, Gander's expansive runways and facilities could still accommodate large aircraft. On Sept. 11, 38 wide-body commercial planes touched down there, bringing in more than 6,500 passengers and crew — nearly doubling the town's population of around 10,000.
Curtis became one of the thousands of passengers Canadians called the "plane people" — stranded travelers taken in by local residents. His story is documented in the book "The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland."
Before the attacks, 5,000 commercial and private planes filled U.S. skies. Within hours, they were grounded, and Canada's radar lit up with hundreds of diverted flights.
Curtis had been on his plane for 24 hours by the time he got off. At a local shelter, he saw the full scope of the destruction for the first time.
"They had a TV at that shelter, and it was our first opportunity to see the destruction," Curtis said. "I just remember grown men sitting there, tearing up because this was suddenly a reality, you know. The only thing we were hearing were descriptions and things like that. Now all of a sudden we're actually seeing it, and both towers were just a smoldering pile of rubble at that time."
"You mentioned that you see it on this TV in this small town, how did you react?" Tampa Bay 28 reporter Michael Paluska asked.
"Just like the other people I described, it was pretty emotional," Curtis said.
Residents of Gander and neighboring communities provided shelter, food, clothing, and emotional support to the stranded passengers. Schools, community centers, and private homes were opened to accommodate the influx of travelers.
A local family — George and Edna — took Curtis and other passengers in. For five days, he watched the aftermath of the attacks on television while witnessing the best of humanity right in front of him.
"There was every couch, every guest bed, everyone you know on the floor," Curtis said of where passengers slept. "They were pretty remarkable."
“Do you think Canadians today would do the same thing, even though there are all these political issues?” Paluska asked Curtis.
“It’s funny, I was thinking about that earlier, and I’d say absolutely, 100%; there’s no doubt in my mind. We were fortunate ones to be treated with such love and hospitality. So it was so encouraging, and just such a bright light in such a dark time. We are here getting an example of everything that is right with humanity," Curtis said. "So it was a gift to be on that, to get stranded there."
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