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Maureen Basnicki stood in the dining room of the Albany Club in downtown Toronto on the night of 9/11, proud of the dinner she helped organize.
The “Service Day” dinner, he explained, is to show gratitude to service members – those who fought for Canada in Afghanistan, supported Canadians after 9/11, and those who continue to serve our communities on a daily basis.
Twenty-five years ago, her husband Ken Basnicki, 48, was killed when Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked a plane and flew it into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers.
Maureen Basnicki, a flight attendant at the time, said she woke up that morning in a small town outside Frankfurt where her crew was stopping.
He said he turned on his television and saw a second plane flying toward the south tower.
“You can only imagine my shock and horror to find out Ken was there. I didn’t know which tower he was in, but I knew he was in New York and the rest is history,” he explained.
Because he didn’t have a cell phone at the time and really wanted to talk to Ken, Basnicki said he went to the hotel lobby and asked the concierge if he could call Ken, who did have a cell phone.
There was no answer so he begged the officer to call back and left his number at the hotel.
“Anyway, my mother-in-law received a call from Ken because she knew I was in Germany and didn’t have a cell phone. I could only repeat her last words to anyone, to her mother. She said ‘Mom, something bad has happened. The room is full of smoke, the roof is closed and I don’t know how I’m supposed to get out. I’m on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center.’ That’s my certainty about his whereabouts that day,” Basnicki said.
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The skies closed due to the terrorist attack so Basnicki was stuck in Germany for three days, far from New York and the couple’s two children, aged 16 and 21, who were back in Toronto.
“I still get emotional when I think about it. Thankfully, I had a great crew. I had support from other crew members in the hotel, from the German people. People couldn’t do much for me, but of course, I wanted to be at home with my children,” he explained.
Basnicki said their family waited in hopes that Ken would survive.
“I knew when I was stuck in Germany that Ken would never come home,” he explains.
In the years since, Basnicki has worked hard to advocate for survivors of terrorism and change the dialogue regarding 9/11.
“It is very important for me and for the sake of history, for our younger generation to understand that what happened on that day was a global event.”
He said while people would “never forget” the hatred and horror of the heinous attack, he was more of a person who would “always remember”.
“The overwhelming love and support, the response of Canadians after that event, was so important. Looking back, 9/11 was an attack on our values, shared values with the United States. It was an attack on democracy. I think we can celebrate our values on that day rather than dwell on the hate and horror,” Basnicki said.
In the room of the Albany Club where the dinner is being held, the tables are decorated with red and white linens and recording artist and songstress Robert Pilon will perform.
“I succeeded in having, under the Harper Government, the tenth anniversary, September 11, designated as a ‘National Day of Service,’” Basnicki said.
These are the events he dedicates his time to now.
“We all want to remember happy memories. I have reached the point where you can only imagine how I felt when I saw the plane, as a former flight attendant, used as a murder weapon to kill my husband. That visual is hard for me to escape,” she said, her voice cracking.
“I would rather think about the impact, celebrating it with my ‘Come from Away’ family, not to belittle the event but to show our true values,” added Basnicki, with a smile on his face.
Basnicki encourages everyone to commemorate 9/11 by performing an act of service, whether it’s participating in the upcoming Terry Fox Run or donating blood.
“Buy a cop a cup of coffee, a firefighter, show your gratitude,” he said with a laugh.
“Just a small way. Everyone can do that. It took the average Canadian to react after 9/11. Go beyond the political rhetoric. Find your personal capacity, a way to say ‘we live in a great country and we love our values here.'”
Basnicki said she misses Ken and knows he would be proud.
“Ken was a man of service. He coached kids as best he could, he put family before work, his priorities were right. He gave to his community, hosted community events. We had an annual volleyball tournament, on Labor Day weekend,” Basnicki said.
He said he would continue to work to advocate for new laws to combat terrorism and also reminded Canadians to celebrate. National Service Day.
“For me, it was the day my beloved Ken died. But come on, life is beautiful and I am very proud of my country.”
Basnicki said he will continue to remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost that day, including 24 Canadians, but he wants to redefine the day.
“We haven’t set a day yet. There’s no physical warning but let’s have a lively day.”
