Where were you on 9/11?

Yrs Trly was at the Mighty Mezz, quietly beavering away in his cubicle, slamming together things needed to get the daily newspaper out.
A 21-inch TV hung off the ceiling at one end of the newsroom.
Suddenly there was one of the Twin Towers on it, smoking after the first hit.
“How can an airliner hit the World Trade Center on a clear day?” I said.
People began gathering below the TV, advertising-reps and reporters.
But not me; I had things to do.
Things began getting wonky.
The Pentagon was hit by another airliner, and soon another airliner crashed into the other Twin Tower.
A fourth airliner crashed in Pennsylvania. It had been hijacked, and was headed for Washington.
Suddenly the newspaper’s priorities had changed.
We no longer were reporting the local news: fires, car-crashes, crime,
Our nation was under attack.
But the Twin Towers were still standing, smoking profusely.
Then one tower collapsed.
“WOW,” I said.
And then the second tower.
Someone called to report the Canandaigua lake-level, as they did every day, since we reported it.
He commented we were under attack.
This guy was older than me, old enough to remember Pearl Harbor.
“Well, yes,” I said; comparable to Pearl Harbor.
People say we will never forget, but will we?
Over 69 years have passed since December 7, 1941, “A date that will live in infamy......”
Yet December 7 seems to come-and-go; buy a Toyota.
Will September 11 suffer the same forgetfulness 60 years from now, when those living were not there on September 11, 2001, and those that were are gone?
By then our cars may be from Afghanistan.

• The “Mighty Mezz” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired over five years ago. Best job I ever had — I worked there almost 10 years. (“Canandaigua” [“cannan-DAY-gwuh”] is a small city nearby where we live in Western NY. The city is also within a rural town called “Canandaigua.” The name is Indian, and means “Chosen Spot.” —It’s about 14 miles away.)