09/11/2026
Red Cross volunteer of 27 years, David Williams, sat down with Alaska's News Source earlier this week to describe his experience responding to the September 11th attacks both in Alaska and on the East Coast.
“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 Williams. 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 start sheltering all those people who were being diverted. All of these people couldn’t get anywhere. They were locked in place,” David recalled. The Red Cross of AK provided emergency shelter and supplies for the hundreds of stranded travelers.
Once air traffic resumed, Dave was on one of the first flights to the East Coast to continue serving the Red Cross during its response to the attacks. “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 Williams.
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 humanity at its finest.
You can read more of David's story here: https://rdcrss.org/4mgW8rE
