Solve a Problem
PHL/458
September 5, 2013

Solve a Problem Challenges are all around us. Sometimes we face easy challenges and other times we face difficult challenges. In order to solve a problem, regardless of its level of difficulty, one must think critically and creatively in order to develop a satisfactory solution. As we try to solve the problems of our daily lives, it is important to examine any and all ideas. From the most mundane to the most radical, it is a healthy activity to express all ideas and do the filtering later. This paper will attempt to discuss and solve a problem I have some personal experience with. “It is one thing to have thinking skills and quite another to use them in everyday situations” (Ruggiero, 2009, p. 112). This situation definitely challenged the thinking skills my team and I had available. I served on active duty in the United States Navy for almost eight years. To say that we were regularly presented with challenges would be a dramatic understatement. It never really seemed to be more challenging then when we were off the coast of Iraq in 2003. I was the manager of all the communications systems aboard the ship. This system played a key role in all ship’s communications but most importantly during this war, our GPS guided-missile waypoints were mission critical. Three hours prior to a missile launch, the mainframe Tomahawk system used to handle this communication stopped functioning properly. It was one in the morning. I was not the main technician on this equipment but I would ultimately be held responsible for its success or failure. Notifying the upper chain of command that the equipment was not functioning was not necessary. Within ten minutes, the entire ship’s crew was aware of the problem. Explaining what I thought the issue was after discussing the problem with the technician was also quite the