Fast forward to the very end of the 60's. My last very clear memory was the peace march in Washington, DC in Nov, 1969. I was going to school in Philadelphia at the time and a huge caravan of buses went from Union Station to Washington to the march. There were probably about 200,000 people there. I remember the absolute intoxicating feeling that day-- and no, I wasn't drinking or doing drugs but you could definitely smell weed burning. We were sure that we were the smartest and the best generation to come along and if our leaders would only listen to us the world would be a wonderful place.
When I boarded the bus to go back to Philly my eyes and nose started burning like crazy. Turns out there were some kids on board who had gone to the Justice Dept. to demonstrate and had gotten tear gassed and it was still on their clothing.
Within the year I graduated from school, got married and settled down with my spouse to start a family and live a fairly normal life. The brunt of the 60's revolution hit my younger siblings as by 1970 drugs, free sex, abortion, arrests and eventually divorce blindsided my family. Only now am I beginning to appreciate what my parents must have gone through as they watched their younger children try to self destruct.