It's Time to Make National Service a Universal Commitment

The country is deeply divided. It is divided economically, but also politically and culturally. As these divisions widen, I'm convinced it's time to revive a commitment to national service—and to make that commitment universal. “Universal” could mean mandatory, but more realistically, it should mean the creation of a strong expectation that every U.S. resident give one year of service—either military or civilian—and be provided with a structured opportunity to do so.