Air Force ROTC

By Col. Greg Lowe

Welcome Home

Detachment 875 is back in full force after a busy summer. We welcomed 126 new cadets, who are eager to learn more about the Air Force and Space Force. Some hailed from right here in Blacksburg, while others came from as far as Uzbekistan. Seven of those cadets earned a full scholarship through the High School Scholarship Program.

After landing his HH-60W on the Drillfield last fall, Maj. Adam Cade ’09 decided to stick around and join us as our new AS300 instructor. Detachment 875 also welcomed Capt. Easton Penland, an Airfield Operations Officer, prior-enlisted linguist, and UCLA AFROTC graduate.

Summer Training

This summer Det 875 sent 38 cadets to Maxwell Air Force Base to attend field training. Every cadet graduated and two cadets earned the coveted Distinguished Graduate Award. Fourteen non-scholarship cadets were welcomed back to the detachment with the new Charles McGee Leadership Award. Brig. Gen. Charles McGee was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and served as a fighter pilot in three wars. This award gave all non-scholarship cadets who completed field training a sizable scholarship. It is the Air Force’s intent for all cadets in the future to receive a similar award after they complete field training.

Other VTAF cadets spent the summer doing incredible things around the country. Cadets Jake Osborn ’23 and William Dwivedi ’23 were hand-selected as cadet instructors at the U. S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School. For the last three weeks basic military training, Osborn and Dwivedi helped prepare incoming cadets by teaching them military discipline, confidence, and drill.

Cadet Nick Vrabel ’25 attended the Air Force Academy’s Intro to Powered Flight program. This 15-day course used virtual reality software to provide basic flight fundamentals in the Cirrus SR-20 aircraft and the T-6 Texan II. Additionally, Cadet Jarod Mills ’25 was selected for the Special Tactics Orientation Course. For 7 days, Mills tested his physical and mental fortitude at Hurlburt Field, FL while being “encouraged” by some of the best special operations instructors in the Air Force.

Cadet Giavanna Angelo ’22 was named the Air Force Association (AFA) Outstanding Cadet of the Year Award at the Southeast Region level. The AFA Outstanding Cadet of the Year Award recognizes the cadet who excels in academics, athletics, and military performance, making her the best of 3,229 cadets in the region!

Semester Accomplishments

The fall semester was exciting, and Det 875’s cadets continue to pursue excellence in everything they do. Seven cadets traveled to Wright Patterson AFB for the 26th Annual Air Force Marathon. Capt. Da’rrell Cousin led the contingent and competed in his first marathon along with his father. Everyone crossed the finish line, and they all look forward to returning next September.

Cadets Jillian Haas ’22 and Nicholas Knapp ’23 completed Phase II of the Tactical Air Control Party Officer selection process. Phase II is a one-week evaluation assessing candidates’ aptitude to complete the training pipeline and lead close air support operations for the ground components. Haas was awarded a TACPO slot and will start training after she graduates Virginia Tech this spring.

Hokie football games continue to be a celebration of airpower! Lt. Col. Mike “Flex” Wheeler ’04 led a fourship F-16 fly-over of the Miami game and forty AFROTC cadets unfurled an enormous American flag at halftime of the Wofford game, celebrating the 75th birthday of the US Air Force!

Finally, congratulations to our nine cadets who graduated and commissioned this Fall. We wish you the best of luck in your Air Force and Space Force careers!