I am a Baby Boomer and have seen America experience and address numerous domestic and international challenges.

From my personal recollection, here is a brief listing of some:

∫ The fall 1963 Cuban missile crisis between the U.S. and the Soviet Union

∫ The assassination of President John F. Kennedy

∫ The corruption and subsequent resignation of President Richard M. Nixon

∫ The assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy

∫ The Vietnam War, which took the lives of 58,000-plus men and women

∫ The assassination attempts on Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan

∫ The 1979 meltdown of Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear power complex

∫ The impeachment of President William Clinton

∫ The loss of 3,000-plus lives when our nation was besieged by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001

∫ The Great Recession of 2008

∫ The global arrival of COVID-19, which has so far affected 108 million-plus Americans with 1.2 million deaths

∫ After 20 years, the U.S. exiting the Afghanistan war

∫ In recent years, major floods, wildfires, tornados, hurricanes, and related climate challenges

∫ Numerous mass shootings at schools, universities, entertainment and shopping complexes, work sites, and elsewhere

∫ The surge of narcotic addiction and deaths across the nation

∫ Nearly 50 years after the ruling, Roe V. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court

∫ On Jan. 6, 2021, during our transition of presidential leadership, the nation’s Capitol building was stormed by an armed mob of thousands, numerous individuals perished and were injured

∫ Former President Donald J. Trump twice impeached and currently being charged with 90-plus civil and criminal indictments

Those challenges and events are memorable in numerous aspects.

However, America’s “challenge list” continues to grow and smolder under the embers of racial and religious hate, gun violence, significant political and ideological views, lack of faith in governmental structure and leadership, international alliances and approaches, domestic terrorism, climate change, housing, aging infrastructure, income disparity, endless conspiracy theories, and dozens upon dozens of additional topics.

My suggestion is for each American to select two or three of those challenges and become a leader in gathering others to address and solve them.

And, for all Americans of voting age and ability, register to vote and select the leaders who will address and solve those challenges.

All actions should be in support of the U.S. Constitution and our founding leaders and those who served in the military to create and maintain a democracy.

After all, Americans tend to be problem-solvers.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.