Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis, MD, member of CERL’s Executive Board, argues in an opinion at Newsweek that the United States needs to reclaim a shared understanding of its national purpose. One way to do this is to create a universal program of national service, involving not just military service but also civilian pathways in fields like conservation, public health, and emergency response, to bring together young adults from across different geographies, backgrounds, and ideologies in pursuit of a common project.

Brig. Gen. Xenakis is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist with many years of clinical, academic, and management experience. He is an advisor for Physicians for Human Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture, and an Adjust Professor at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He is also a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here.

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.