Staff
DETACHMENT 875 STAFF
Detachment 875's staff are called the cadre. The cadre are the group of personnel that foster the Air Force ROTC cadet experience at Virginia Tech. The cadre are dedicated to sustaining an environment where cadets develop into, and ultimately commission as, the highest caliber Second Lieutenants possible.
Col John O'Dell - Det 875 Commander
Col John O'Dell
Detachment Commander
Colonel John P. "J.P." O'Dell III is from Ewing, VA, and was commissioned through AFROTC at The Virginia Military Institute in 1999 with a BS in Computer Science. He is a Master Navigator with over 3,300 flight hours in various Special Operations and Rescue aircraft. Col O'Dell has deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as multiple operations in EUCOM and AFRICOM. His career includes squadron command, joint staff duties at U.S. Southern Command, and serving as Military Deputy Director of the Aircrew Task Force at Air Force Headquarters. Col O'Dell most recently served as Deputy Commander of the 37th Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland before joining Detachment 875 as Commander and Professor of Aerospace Studies where he leads all recruiting, instruction, evaluation, and administration activities to develop over 300 prospective Air Force and Space Force officers annually.
Maj Adam "Manson" Cade
Operations Flight Commander
Maj Adam Cade is from Knoxville, TN and is a Virginia Tech alum. He studied Mechanical Engineering, was a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and commissioned through Detachment 875 in 2010. He is a Combat Search & Rescue HH-60W helicopter pilot and has deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and with the Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. After serving in the Rescue operations community for 10 years as a flight lead, instructor and evaluator pilot, he returned to Detachment 875 as the Operations Flight Commander.
SSgt Melvin Henderson
Mrs. Kate "Jiga" Lowe
AS400 Instrutor
Kate Lowe is from Lancaster, PA. She is a proud graduate of the University of Notre Dame where she majored in Mechanical Engineering and commissioned out of Air Force ROTC. On Active Duty, she was an F-16 pilot, culminating as an instructor and evaluator pilot at the F-16 schoolhouse. Currently a Lt Col in the AF Reserves, she works as contract faculty instructing the AS400 class.
Lt Col Rach Smith
AS300 Instrutor
Lt Col Rach Smith grew up in Omaha, NE. She received a commission from AFROTC Det 207 at Saint Louis University, attended the Defense Language Institute (twice!), and has earned Master's Degrees from Norwich University and Naval Postgraduate School. She has worked in ICBM and Space Ops, International Affairs, Policy, on the Air Staff, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. She transferred to the Space Force in 2020 and joined Det 875 as the AS300 instructor.
Capt Amy Silverbush
AS200 Instrutor
Capt Amy Silverbush is from Shingle Springs, CA and graduated with a BS in Environmental Engineering from the US Air Force Academy in 2016. She earned her MS in General Engineering and Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 2020 before earning her Professional Engineer license in Civil Engineering, Water Resources and Environmental. Capt Silverbush is a Civil Engineer and most recently served a year long tour as the Deputy Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Commander at Al Dhafra Air base, United Arab Emirates in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
Capt David Carlson
AS100 Instructor
Capt David Carlson is originally from Minnesota. He commissioned through AFROTC Det 415 at the University of Minnesota in 2014, earning a B.S. in Agricultural Industries and Marketing. Capt Carlson is an Aircraft Maintenance Officer (21A), who has worked with the F-15E Strike Eagle and RQ-4 Global Hawk. He is currently the AS100 instructor at AFROTC Detachment 875.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
TSgt Christopher Spotswood
Officer Accessions Instructor
TSgt Christopher Spotswood is from Mobile, AL. He entered the Air Force in 2010 as an Aircraft Fuel Systems mechanic where he managed fuel system maintenance actions for the A-10C Thunderbolt, the HC-130P/Ns, and the HH-60G. In 2016, he retrained into the Personnel career field where he sustains a wide variety of programs related to career progression, retentions, assignments, evaluations, and promotions. He has deployed to Africa, Turkey, and Afghanistan and is currently serving a special duty assignment as Virginia Tech's first Officer Accessions Instructor.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
TSgt Ethan Blanton
Officer Accessions Instructor
TSgt Ethan Blanton is from Cynthiana, KY, and joined the Air Force in 2012 as a vehicle maintenance technician, where he has performed repairs on thousands of different types of vehicles from passenger cars to 2.5 ton crawler cranes, MATVs, HMMWVs and everything in between. He’s spent his career at Joint Base Andrews, Osan Air Base, Dyess Air Force Base, and Minot Air Force Base. He’s deployed to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iraq. He is currently serving as our Officer Accessions Instructor, where he provides mentorship and guidance to aspiring officers, prepares and maintains cadet personnel records, and ensures all commissioning requirements are met.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
SSgt Bryce Larkin
NCOIC Cadet Actions
SSgt Bryce Larkin is from Toledo, OH. He is a 3F5 Administration troop. He has been stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL previous to his assignment here at Detachment 875. SSgt Larkin has been deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar where he worked on the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander’s Support Staff. He is currently serving as NCOIC, Cadet Actions.
TSgt Christopher Spotswood - NCOIC
SSgt Eileen Perez
Administration NCOIC
SSgt Eileen Perez is from El Paso, TX but California raised! In 2017 she entered the Air Force as an Administration Specialist. She was first assigned to Hurlburt Field FL where she supported various unique units managing commander directed programs. SSgt Perez is currently on her second assignment at Detachment 875 as the Administration NCOIC.
Ms. Connie
Ms. Connie
Commander's Assistant
Connie Moses was born and raised here in Montgomery County, VA. She has been employed with VT AFROTC Detachment 875 for 24 years as the Commander Secretary. She has been an integral part in training and developing hundreds of cadets alongside the military staff throughout these years, to include Maj Cade when he was a cadet in Detachment 875. She has 2 adult children Cyndi & Mac, 7 grandkids, 1 great-granddaughter and 3 dogs. Connie enjoys working out at Fit Body Boot Camp, walking, sewing and spending time with her family.