Kevin Tuerff - Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander

This is a work of nonfiction. The events portrayed are from the authors memory and personal experiences. While all the stories in this book are true, some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.

Published by River Grove Books
Austin, TX
www.rivergrovebooks.com

Copyright 2017 Kevin Tuerff Consulting, LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the copyright holder.

Distributed by River Grove Books

Design and composition by Greenleaf Book Group
Cover design by Greenleaf Book Group
Photo courtesy of Canadian Armed Forces, 103 Search and
Rescue Squadron, 9 Wing Gander

Cataloging-in-Publication data is available.

Print ISBN: 978-1-63299-120-1

eBook ISBN: 978-1-63299-121-8

First Edition

This book is dedicated to the people of Gander, Newfoundland. Twenty-five percent of the net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Gander Refugee Outreach, an organization that brings refugee families from Syria to Canada so they can experience Ganders unique kindness to strangers.

I hope this book is a reminder that we promised to never forget the lives tragically lost in America, and the dedication and kindness of first responders and volunteers on 9/11.

CONTENTS

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FOREWORD

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On September 11, 2001, I was mayor of the town of Gander, Newfoundland, population 10,000. After thirty-eight transatlantic airline flights, carrying 6,500 passengers, were diverted here, I declared a state of emergency and asked our residents to help these international travelers. We saw the worst of humanity and the best of humanity, and on the very same day. It was almost too much to absorb as it was happening, but it changed our lives forever.

The author tells his personal story as a stranded airline passenger, along with stories from volunteers who quickly stepped up to help those from more than three dozen countries around the world who needed food, clothing, and shelter. A lot of friendships were developed over five days. We just do good deeds and cherish the memories.

I met Kevin Tuerff in 2011 when he returned to Gander for the tenth-anniversary ceremonies of the 9/11 attacks in America. However, Id been watching Kevins Pay It Forward 9/11 initiative since 2002. It was wonderful to see how the actions taken by the residents of Newfoundland inspired him to organize many others to do good deeds for strangers as far away as Texas, year after year.

We never could have imagined our actions would receive so many accolades, including the amazing Come From Away Broadway musical, in which the author and I are featured characters.

The message of this book is very important because our world is divided, with an increase in hatred and intolerance. Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 is a beautiful story about how a seed of love can be planted within someone, and years later it grows into a beautiful, flowering tree.

I hope that people who read this book will come away with the important message of making kindness part of their daily life, which can change the world. Channel of Peace offers suggestions for how you might make the world better with a simple act of kindness for a stranger.

Claude Elliott
Mayor, Town of Gander (19962017)
Newfoundland, Canada

PROLOGUE

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It All Starts With Kindness

Everyone born before 1990 has a 9/11 story. Mine is unique because on that tragic day, I was lucky to witness the kindness of strangers. This kindness, in a tiny, remote town of a foreign country, restored my faith in humanity. Ive been relentlessly telling this story ever since, because few are aware of it. The events that day changed my life for the better, and Im certain my story will do the same for others.

For more than fifteen years, the people of Gander have led by example, serving as a channel of peace. They inspired me in 2002 to start a random act of kindness effort on each anniversary of each 9/11. Fifteen years later, this tiny town inspired others again by adopting refugee families from Syria. In 2017, my personal story from 2001 was featured with a character role in the Broadway musical Come From Away.

Tony-nominated American Theater actor Chad Kimball sings Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, playing the character Kevin 1, inspired by my experience, in the Broadway musical Come From Away. PHOTO CREDIT: KEVIN BERNE

CHAPTER 1

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September 11th: Stuck on the Tarmac

Returning to America from vacationing in France, my planes altitude suddenly dropped and we turned sharply to the north. Our transatlantic flight from Paris was scheduled to arrive mid-morning in New York on September 11, 2001. Apparently US airspace was closed and all planes were told to land at the nearest airport. Thirty minutes later, our plane with 250 people aboard would land on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. At the time, I was confused and annoyed by the diversion. But the change in direction was providential. Being stranded on 9/11 planted a seed of kindness in me that grew and blossomed over the next fifteen years.

Immediately after the September 11th attacks, US airspace was closed and my flight over the Atlantic Ocean was diverted to the Canadian island province of Newfoundland and Labrador. PHOTO CREDIT: KEVIN TUERFF

Our family moved often as I grew up, so its no surprise that I enjoy traveling. My parents were high school sweethearts from Gary, Indiana, who married after my father graduated from college. Soon they moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Dads first job in the insurance business, and my birthplace. Dads career bounced me from Indiana to Atlanta, to Nashville and to Louisville, and finallyin fifth gradeto Houston. The majority of my childhood was spent growing up with my three brothers in suburban northwest Houston, where I graduated high school. My next move would take me to Austin, Texas, where I graduated from the University of Texas. After graduating, my friends at the University Catholic Center helped me come out of the closet as gay at age twenty-two.

One of the priests at my church formed a gay mens support group. It made me feel that I wasnt alone and that my sexual orientation didnt mean I should abandon my Catholic faith. I met several men in the group who I have remained friends with for more than twenty-five years. In the early 1990s, our group members were more than members; they became active leaders in the church. Sadly, in 1993, Pope John Paul II wrote a directive to Catholics from the Vatican that proclaimed the intrinsic evil of the homosexual condition.

By the mid-1990s, hope for expanding support groups for gay Catholics to other churches was completely lost. Local bishops and priests were toeing the Vatican line. Soon, a young college student who attended my church called home to her conservative parents and told them about our group. Her parents reportedly called the Bishop of Austin. I was told that the Bishop called over to the pastor at my church and immediately squashed the gay support group. This political action not only broke up a group of friends united by religion, but it poked a hole in our faith. Most of my friends abandoned the Catholic Church. I tried to stay involved after the group disbanded, but ultimately I stopped attending Mass.