I began my professional life after graduating from the Johns Hopkins University as a United States Marine Corps officer. My specialization was in the intelligence field with an additional designation as a foreign area officer for Latin America. I worked in a variety of positions but spent the majority of my time involved with counterinsurgency efforts in El Salvador. My fundamental philosophy regarding foreign policy was formed during this period. In short, I believe that our approach to foreign policy should be one that places emphasis on developing programs with the host nation’s culture as the main starting point (if not the centerpoint). I also feel certain that by addressing mutual security concerns, rather than focusing solely on our own objectives, our policy would be much more effective. This is not to say that we should follow this doctrine to the detriment of our own security–quite the contrary. If the above approach would compromise our own safety in any specific situation, it would have to be abandoned. My feeling is, however, that if we were to use these two underlying principals as our starting point, we probably would run into less trouble down the road.
After I left the active duty Marine Corps, I attended medical school at Hahnemann University
School of Medicine (now Drexel College of Medicine) and graduated in 1998. I then completed my residency in neurological surgery at University of Louisville School of Medicine, and returned to military active duty as a navy neurosurgeon at Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. Upon completing my tour (which concluded 22 years of active and reserve military service) I took a position as a staff neurological surgeon at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. I am currently a member of the neurosurgery staff of the PARS brain and spine institute in West Virginia and Ohio.
I have included my CV at the end of the website to give more insight into my background. I have also provided the text of my speech to the DAR/SAR in the form of a downloadable PDF as well as a PDF of my latest novel, Susto, which is currently at the U.S. copyright office awaiting copyright approval. It’s dark, but ultimately, I believe, inspiring. It’s free, so download it, read it, and let me know what you think when you get a chance. There’s more writing coming in the future, so stay tuned!
To anyone reading this site who is involved with publishing or in the media, my novel El Volcan is self-published, but I am looking for a larger publisher to provide a venue with which I might reach more readers. The Kirkus review was extremely favorable and I can provide this to you upon request. I am also available for public speaking or to provide review or opinion on a broad range of topics. The included video is an example of my ability at public speaking. Please feel free to contact me at my Skype number 740-538-0803 and I will be happy to discuss this with you at your convenience.
Best,
Charles L. Levy, M.D.