By Taylar Sausen

September 11, 2001, was a day that changed the lives of many. The Red Cross response to the tragedy was immense. Nearly $1.1 billion in generous donations funded massive relief and recovery efforts, helping more than 59,000 families affected by the terrorist attacks. More than 57,000 Red Crossers from across the country—including dozens from Alaska—volunteered and traveled to impacted areas, including Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

While Red Cross volunteers provided shelter in the areas immediately affected by the attack, local responders in Alaska stepped up to help in a unique way.

“Air traffic over Anchorage is big. We had hundreds of planes flying over the city every day, flying from Asia and Europe to other destinations in the U.S.,” said David Williams, an Anchorage volunteer of 26 years. Dozens of flights destined for the Lower 48 were unexpectedly grounded in Anchorage. “So the effect on us wasn’t so much watching what was happening with the Twin Towers and things like that, as much as it was having to deal with the potential for sheltering all those people who were being diverted. All of these people couldn’t get anywhere. They were locked in place,” David recalled.

In 2001, David had served as a volunteer for the Red Cross of Alaska for four years, helping to recruit and coordinate other volunteers. He said he was at the gym when he heard about the attack and immediately went to the Red Cross office to help.

“One of the things that was unique is I had a place to come to, and I was not worried about ‘What can I do?’ I was doing it. A lot of people were calling us and wondering, ‘What can I do to help?” David stepped up to help lead the local response, where several hundred stranded travelers needed shelter. The Red Cross worked with local officials to set up a shelter at a local church. The shelter residents were not U.S. citizens, so David recalled that the entire community stepped in to support. “The tour groups in town and things picked them up and gave them tours. Our nation was hurting, but we didn’t want this to be a negative experience for them. We really took care of them while they were here.”

David also said that businesses and generous citizens provided meals, extra clothing, and supplies for the stranded travelers—including 12 newly adopted children who were traveling to meet their adoptive families.

When the ground stop was lifted, the stranded travelers were able to leave Anchorage and were transported to their original destinations. But for David, his work responding to this disaster was far from over.

“I was on one of the first jets out to the East Coast. I went out to New Jersey and helped the people in central New Jersey who worked in the towers, whose families worked in the towers, and who were missing.”

David spent two weeks helping to care for the immediate needs of thousands of families affected by the attack. “I was actually going out at night, in the evening, going to somebody’s home, sitting down with the family, arranging the funeral, bringing people in—sometimes from out of the country—flying them in for the funerals, doing that type of support. I was really getting involved in their lives and helping them determine what the Red Cross could do to help them through that terrible period,” said David.

As we reflect on the events of September 11, we remember not only the lives lost and the families forever changed, but also the extraordinary acts of compassion that rose from the tragedy. From the streets of New York to the shelters of Anchorage, the American Red Cross and its volunteers—like David Williams—embodied the spirit of humanity at its finest. Their swift action, tireless dedication, and unwavering empathy remind us that even in our darkest hours, light can be found in the kindness of strangers. On this solemn anniversary, we pause to remember the victims, their families, and honor the brave responders.