Events in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ottawa mark 15th anniversary of 9/11
GANDER, N.L. — Motorcycle engines rumbled on the tarmac of a Newfoundland and Labrador airport Sunday as Canadians and Americans gathered to reflect on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and this small town’s unexpected connection to it.
A group of motorcycles and emergency vehicles provided an escort for a piece of steel beam from the south tower of the World Trade Center that was presented at a ceremony at the Gander International Airport. Many passenger flights were diverted to the Newfoundland airport after American airspace was closed in the wake of the attacks on New York and Washington.
The one metre by one metre beam was loaded onto a trailer in New York City earlier this week to make the 2,400-kilometre journey to northern Newfoundland, escorted by current and former firefighters on motorcycles.
The convoy made its way through the town to the airport Sunday afternoon under overcast skies before the beam was presented to the town.