What would Culpeper do if the world suddenly came to town?

Would Culpeper be ready if 6,000 international travelers were stranded in town for five days?

Would we strip the sheets and pillows from our beds, grab every towel in the linen closet and take them all to makeshift shelters without regard for how we’d ever get them back? Better, yet, would we invite those strangers in to shower or simply relax for a few hours — even if we weren’t home?

It’s hard to know how Culpeper would respond to such a hypothetical emergency, but for the people of Gander, Newfoundland, the unimaginable became reality.

When U.S. airspace was completely closed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, planes originating from all over the world were forced to either turn around or find somewhere else to land. Amazingly, and in light of concerns for their own safety (no one knew if more terrorists were on board those planes still aloft), Canadian airports welcomed the stranded planes.

Gander, whose airport had once been “the” refueling spot for military and civilian aircraft heading from the United States to Europe, had the infrastructure in place to get the planes on the ground. But once that was accomplished, the real challenges began:

How do you get all of these passengers off the planes and checked in to shelters? And where, exactly, are the shelters?

I learned about the hospitality of the people of Gander (and a few other small surrounding towns) through the Friends of the Culpeper County Library book club selection for September, “The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland,” by Jim DeFede.

The book club could not have made a better choice. And though the chance to discuss the book may have passed, I recommend you go to the library and ask to borrow a copy of this wonderful testament to the spirit of community.

Earlier this month, the eighth anniversary of those horrific and senseless attacks came and went. I’m sure we can all remember what we were doing or where we were at the time, but many of us prefer not to.

DeFede could have taken the macabre path chosen by some film and television producers. Instead, he decided to retell the story of the other side of 9/11 — when the world came together as a community like never before, or since. Those days when “We’re all Americans now!” could be heard on every continent.

A lot has happened between then and now. Our standing in the world may not be as high as it was then (with such a positive spike, the mood meter had only one direction to go), but more depressing is the change in temperament and community we’ve undergone inside our borders.

It’s a simple timeline to follow: Before 9/11 we were a country divided roughly down the middle, harboring “If you’re not with me, you against me” attitudes. There was a blip of unity after the attacks, but by 2004 we were back to our old divisions. Looking around today, it’s hard to remember the blip.

Every September, we should stop and reflect on 9/11, even if we don’t want to. Some will choose to remember that we were attacked and responded. Others will replay the graphic images in their minds.

Thanks to Jim DeFede, and the Friends of the Library, this year I remembered the blip.

Clements’ column runs every Monday on the editorial page.