Critical Analysis: Astronaut psycho

My critical analysis I chose to write about the recent breaking news about the astronaut, Lisa Nowak, who is a married mother of three, decided to drive over 900 miles to confront a woman she believed was a competitor for the affections of Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, an unmarried fellow astronaut. According to the evidence she planned to kidnap and ended up assaulting Colleen Shipman, a U.S. Air Force captain, also the woman who Lisa was threatened by.

I chose two articles to evaluate. The first one I read is titled, “Space Walk: She's an astronaut, a Navy captain, and a married mother of three,” by Arian Campo-Flores. So what made Lisa Nowak drive 900 miles to confront a perceived romantic rival? Diary of a bad trip.” This article I found online in Newsweek which contains national news.
The second article I read I found on CBS.com titled, “Astronaut Charged With Attempted Murder: Astronaut accused of trying to kidnap romantic rival charged with attempted murder.”
In the first article it starts out revealing what exactly happened that day of the murder, the whole story. It doesn’t really have a flow to it. The writer attempts to go back and forth about what happened and what people are saying. There are many different people quoted in the article which gives the reader useful information. Harvey Wichman, former head of the Aerospace Psychology Laboratory at Claremont McKenna College was asked a few questions as well as a former high school classmate who declined to give a name. The Johnson Space Center would not respond for comment. Her attorney, Donald Lykkebak and a fellow astronaut, Steve Lindsey, who attended one of the hearings were also interrogated. The article really goes in depth about Lisa’s life growing up including a high school yearbook quote that said,” I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor.” According to the editorial, she was on the field hockey and track teams, and participated in class council, student government, the math team and the French honor society, among other organizations.
The second article is written a little different. It begins with exactly what she is accused for, charged, and how much exactly her bail was. Orlando Police Sgt. Barb Jones was quoted in the piece. The writer mentions that judge earlier Tuesday said she could be freed on $15,500 bail provided she stayed away from the other woman and wore a monitoring device. But the judge increased that amount after prosecutors filed attempted murder charges. The first article didn’t really go into the detail about any of the charges or bail money. Steve Lindsey is also quoted in this article as well as Chris Ferguson another fellow astronaut. A NASA spokesman by the name of James Hartsfield in Houston was quoted. In the second article, the writer gives a short bio of the man who she was chasing after, Navy Cmdr. William Oefilein while in the first article he was briefly mentioned.
When comparing the two, there was a certain piece of information that was told differently in each. In the article from Newsweek, Lisa’s relationship with Oefelein was described as “more than a working relationship, but less than a romantic relationship.” While in the article from CBS news, they declare that the police found a letter "that indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein.” Apparently, Police said Nowak told them that she only wanted to scare the other woman into talking to her about her relationship and didn't want to harm her.

West Point Grad comes to Drexel

West Point Graduate comes to Drexel to promote ROTC



Second lieutenant, Patrick O’Conner stood in front of Drexel’s bookstore also known as McAlister Hall for the past 4 days recruiting students to sign up for the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. Upon graduation from West Point in 2006, Patrick was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army. He graduated from Basic Officer Leadership Course II with first time go’s in all technical and leadership evaluations. He is currently enrolled in the Field Artillery School and will graduate in December 2006. He expects to arrive in the Republic of South Korea for his first assignment with the 2nd Infantry Division in January 2007. Patrick oversees about 20-30 soldiers.
ROTC is a college-based, commissioned officers recruitment tool. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.
According to the website, http://www.drexel.edu/depts/rotc/, upon successful completion of the Army ROTC program, and graduation from Drexel or the college of your choice, cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants. Second Lieutenants typically command platoon sized elements. A typical platoon size is between 30 and 40 soldiers. Army ROTC is one of the best leadership training programs in the nation.

We caught up with Patrick earlier today to get some of his thoughts and views about being a leader and what it takes to be in the Army. Patrick talks about how being a leader is very important and leadership was the most important skill he could have learned in the reserve. “For the most part leaders are made. Officers who think they know everything before they take command of their unit are bound for disaster. You need to treat every new command differently and the key to success is knowledge. Leaders that refuse to learn will never improve themselves. These officers may be platoon leaders or commanding officers but by title only, the leadership is not there and is most likely being compensated by the officers enlisted soldiers,” Patrick says.

When speaking about what Patrick liked the most about being a manager he told me “You’re master of your own domain. The success of your unit rest in your hands and that provides a considerable amount of motivation to get any job done. I dislike the futility of completing paper work and the occasion that a soldier needs to be punished.”
I could tell that Patrick really enjoys overseeing soldiers and handling the responsibilities that come along with it.
Patrick and I discussed how he motivates his soldiers. His response was “Not only do you need to be a good example of what a soldier should be, but you also must prove to your soldiers that you are always looking out for their best interests. A soldier who believes their leader is always looking out for them is always going to have your back is great motivation. When you give soldiers something to look up to, and someone they want to become, rather than hate the army and regret their decision to join helps motivate them. That doesn’t mean be friends with them or cut them slack though.” I found this reply rather interesting. By looking out for his soldiers, and their best interests, Patrick is able to motivate them. Motivate them to want to succeed in the army and do a great job being a soldier. He also said that it was very important to him to get college credits he needs and serve his country at the same time.

According to Patrick, Stress is a major part of the job when you are employed by the US Army, whether it is the job itself, or if it is the job affecting your life. I asked Patrick if officers of the army have any responsibility in helping soldiers manage the stress caused by life events outside of work. Patrick’s answer was not what I was expecting. His response was “As an officer in the United States Army your main job is taking care of soldiers. With the current deployment schedule giving soldiers on average one year long deployment every two to three years stress brought on by outside events has drastically increased.” He went on to say, “that being said it is becoming more important for managers in the Army to get involved in these issues when it becomes necessary.”

The ROTC is one of the best leadership courses in the country and is part of the college curriculum. Any student interested in both serving their country as well as getting a degree should enlist. Upon graduation from Army ROTC, you will earn the bar of a Second Lieutenant and become “a leader for life.”

http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/
http://www.drexel.edu/depts/rotc