A Canada-U.S. friendship forged in the aftermath of 9/11

0:00Hi, this is Dave Roberts. Heading into summer without a medical emergency kit, that's a risk. Summer colds can linger and getting sick on vacation can derail everything. That's why everyone needs a medical emergency kit. It includes doctor prescribed medications to treat common and serious illnesses. So if you wake up sick, at home or on the road, you already have what you need. It's like having an urgent care and pharmacy at home. Say $45 with code blue at urgentcarekit.com slash blue urgent care kit.com slash blue. This is a CBC podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway and this is the current podcast. The ripple effects of September 11th were colossal and immediate. Air travel was grounded, flights heading to the United States were diverted and as anyone who has seen the musical come from away knows, almost 7,000 air passengers and crew ended up in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador and immediately the good people of Gander mobilized a feed, house and care for those stranded travelers.

1:04I think it's absolutely wonderful. People have gone rapidly, absolutely marvelous. For what they've done here, there's been so much interest. It's been brilliant. Everyone seems to have pulled together, you know. It's amazing where all the stuff has come from because it didn't seem really a large town. And it would chuffed a bit so really out-proved. We will always have a gander in our hearts, anywhere. Once again this year, people are gathering in Gander to commemorate the attacks and remember the spirit of friendship that grew out of that moment. People including Jeanette Gouchera's and Kelly Severe. Jeanette is a 9-11 survivor. She was working just across the street from the World Trade Center and began traveling to Gander 10 years ago. And that is where she met the woman she now calls a sister, her friend Kelly, who's a special events coordinator for the town of Gander. And they are both in Gander this morning. Good morning to you both. Good morning. Good morning. Jeanette, why did you make that first trip to Gander 15 years after 9-11?

2:05Oh, a group of us who volunteer at the 9-11 Museum in New York City. I decided to come here on a tour of gratitude to basically thank the people of Newfoundland for doing such a wonderful thing on a day that was not so wonderful for us. We all had read the books and knew the story, but we wanted to meet the people. And we did. I mentioned that you are a survivor of 9-11. What happened? At 846, I heard the first plane hit the North Tower, but I didn't know it was plane. I immediately called my sister to work downtown, but not right in the nearby. She called me back, told me it was an accident, and then 17 minutes later, she called me again to tell me about the second strike, which I was not aware of. And she just told me to get out. I didn't want to because I was afraid to go outside, and eventually she convinced me to leave by saying she would come to me and we would leave together.

3:07And you've said that she saved your life. She said my life, if not, I probably wouldn't have been outside because I'm a chicken, but I would have been looking out the window. And when the World Trade Center collapsed, the pressure from the air was a gale force winds that pushed all the windows in the surrounding buildings. And I would have been there. She saved my life. She's your hero because of that. Absolutely 100% my big sister's ails saved my life that day. Well, what happened in Gander on 9-11 and in the days after is now, I mean, it's the stuff of legend. It's not just a musical. It is part of the story of that day and the story of this country. What do you remember about what it was like in Gander then? So that morning, you know, we were doing our regular business, and then we had heard that something had happened, and then we had a call from the mayor who just said, you know, something's on the go, go home, have some lunch and come back. So I went home with my mom and I watched as my mom was right on the flight path.

4:09So I watched this plane after plane descended and I thought, oh dear. Of course, we didn't know at that time that those people were even going to be staying for a length of time. Like, you know, maybe a couple hours and go back again, but we had no idea all night. I answered phone calls from worried family members wondering, where's my mom? Where's my dad? I had like just a passenger list and I would say they're at, you know, if you're on Continental 45, they're on Lewisport to hear that relief in their voice. At a time when we could do nothing other than like try to be helpful, it felt really good to be able to help. When you look back at that, can you, can you understand? I mean, the hair on your arm still stands up when you think of what people did. Can you understand what the good people of your town did now? You know, before I met Jeanette, I, I say what every Newfoundlander says. And that is, you know, what we did that day was something we would have done for anybody. We, we think it's ordinary because we're born and raised in Newfoundland to be those kind and helpful and compassionate people.

5:17That's just what we did. So now that I've met Jeanette and, you know, I've seen come from way in many places across the world or and people come up to you and they're like, wow. This is so amazing what you've done. So I kind of get it now, but I still feel it's just what we would have done no matter what. You mentioned that when she was being screeched in, right? This is the great initiation ceremony if you are from away and you arrive at Newfoundland, you get screeched in. Yeah. I kind of spied her out earlier and, and I knew that she was, she was probably a bit apprehensive. But while she was going on, she's a New Yorker so you could tell by her face like what just happening. She was like, oh dear. So anyhow, part of the ceremony is of course to have a little bit of a capelin, a dried capelin or a smoked capelin. So the look on her face was like, I am not. And I was like, okay, listen to me, just take a little bite. I pass it to me and I will throw them the garbage.

6:17She did. But you didn't say it with words. No, I didn't. I just, I just kind of looked at her and was like, bite. Janette, you weren't too keen on having a bite of the capelin? I don't eat seafood anyway. Not cooked and certainly not a stinky little skinny fish. I don't know. I mean, but I had to do it. Like I won't look so badly to be an honorary Newfoundland. So I had to do it, but I didn't know how. She was saved with me forever. When did you mean she saved you in that moment? Is that when you realize that you were going to be friends? Oh, not quite yet. No, I was indebted to her for sure. But that wasn't the point. No, what was the moment? So after she kissed the fish and became the honorary Newfoundlander, we, I went to the bar to grab a drink and she came up next to me at the bar and said, I owe you a beer. And I was like, well, I don't drink beer, but I'll take a vodka.

7:17And that's what it began. How would you describe your relationship, your connection, Janette? Well, she's like my sister. She really is. I have a sister, one sister, the one that saved my life, Gail. But the relationship is built on what happened in New York and what happened here in Gander. But it has expanded those boundaries by so much. We talk every day. We snap chat each other. We video chat each other. I do come here every year to spend 9-11 here because it's an easier place for me to be. But I also see Kelly in other places. And then after 9-11, we travel the province because she's a great tour guide. I've seen more of Newfoundland than some Newfoundlanders because of Kelly. And she's my rock, especially, especially during this very difficult time.

8:22She's she's all that in the bag of chips. Kelly, that means that must mean a lot. Well, it does. It really does. We, yeah, I have two older sisters. And Jay has become part of our family. My two sisters actually flew here to be a part of this with me and Jeanette. So yeah, I don't have three sisters. Well, actually I have four because this past summer, Gail came to Newfoundland with Jeanette. And we got to spend some time together. So we are bonded like family. Jeanette, you said that being a gander on 9-11 is maybe easier than being in New York. Oh, yes. When you're in New York, it's so dark. It's so hard. And though I find comfort in being with other survivors and family members and first responders, because we all get it the way others don't. But it's a lot to get. And here, most of the time, I'm the only 9-11 anything.

9:25I'm the only New Yorker. And I'm welcome here. And I'm loved here. And it's a safe place here. Yet I still get to honor and mourn and cry. I still get to do everything that I do in New York, but I do it from me in a better place. In a place that I can also smile and laugh and be with this sister. How do you think, Jeanette, about me? One of the things that the gander story is about is about friendship in some ways. And friendship across this border and two countries that are neighbors, but also stood up for each other in this moment and helped each other out. And we're in this kind of weird tricky moment now where insults are going back and forth. And there's a trade war and people perhaps aren't as close as they used to be. But how do you think about that relationship between Canada and the United States, given what you went through? I'm going to simply say that no matter what is happening now,

10:26it can never, ever, ever change what happened then. Not the bad and not the good. Nothing can change what Canadians and what Newfoundland and Labordorians did on 9-11. Nobody sitting anywhere in any office can change that. And nobody sitting anywhere in any office can change who Canadians are. It might change some relationship. It will never change ours. Never. I don't support certain behavior. And I do not support making this about politics. This is not politics. This is about honoring those that were killed, remembering them, remembering their families, and remembering the heroes of that day like my sister, but also like the firefighters and the police and the EMTs and the regular people who put their lives on the line to save some of us. Nothing can change that. In the end, we're friends forever.

11:26It doesn't matter. Kelly, I can hear you agreeing with all of that. 100%. Yeah. There's nothing in this world that could change the bond that the Jeanette and I have. And I believe there is a tie that will bind us to New York City forever. It's wonderful to talk to you both. It's a beautiful story that came out of something terrible. But the way that you finish each other's sentences and laugh at each other's jokes and are right there with each other is wonderful. Yeah, we're blessed. We're grateful. We always say we're like, how did this become our lives? We're not quite sure, but we're blessed and grateful. Lovely. Thank you both for talking to us. Thank you. Thank you. Jeanette Gutierrez is a 9-11 survivor. She's from New York City. She's in Gander, visiting her friend, Kelly Seavier. This has been the current podcast. You can hear our show Monday to Friday on CBC Radio 1 at 8.30am at all time zones. So you can also listen online at cbc.ca slash the current or on the cbc listen app. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

12:27My name is Matt Calloway. Thanks for listening. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.