9/11. The standout memory for me was worrying about my Mom, who worked in DC, while also keeping an eye on the news. I remember seeing the second tower hit, live.
At some point I heard Mom's car come in and greeted her outside, and she was crying while I hugged her.
In a lot of ways we were brought together as a country, but for the wrong reasons.
And then we kept trading freedoms for a false sense of security, which was really the beginning of the end for us. I suppose it was also when my childhood ended.
It's pretty much been downhill ever since.