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