The Screaming Blackbird Podcast

Colonel Aaron Ruona serves as the Commander of the Air Force Reserve Training Corps (AFROTC) in the South East Region. In the past he has served in a variety of positions throughout his career which include Shop Chief, Flight Commander, Assistant Director of Operations, Wing Director of Integration, Wing Chief of Safety, Director of Operations, and Executive Officer to Combined Joint Task Force -...

Meeting the new Commander at Det 605. Hear about his past assignments, VMI, his pilot experiences, and leadership lessons.

Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast, where Cadet Pugh and Cadet Johnson interview the esteemed Lt Col Phil Fittante (Retired). Lt Col Fittante has had a remarkable career in the aviation industry, starting as an ENJJPT student and going on to become a flight instructor and pilot on the B1 bomber. He later transitioned into becoming a test pilot on the B-2 bomber along with other aircraft,...

In this captivating episode, Cadets Dennis Alexander and Christian Williams have the privilege of speaking with the illustrious Brigadier General Kueker-Murphy. They delve into the daily life in the military, the abundant opportunities available in the reserves, and gain insight into Brigadier General Kueker-Murphy's remarkable career. They also discuss the overarching goal and direction of the Un...

In this episode of the Screaming Blackbird Podcast, our Spring 2023 Cadet Wing Commander, Cadet Colonel Hayden Perusek, talks with Colonel William T. Collins, Jr.  Not only is he a senior leader in our Air Force, but he is also a 1997 graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Air Force ROTC Detachment 605.  This episode details how the day to day mission...

Lt Col Paul "Loco" Lopez is a F-22 Evaluator Pilot and on this day, the 20th of May 2022...he will take command of the 19th Fighter Squadron at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Hawaii. Lt Col Lopez is a North Carolina A&T State University and Det 605 alumni.  During his recent return to our Detachment as the guest speaker at our Dining Out...he shared stories, and lessons learned from his t...

Colonel Patrick O'Sullivan is the sitting Vice Commander of Air Force ROTC. Col O'Sullivan provided valuable insight into headquarter level thinking of the AFROTC enterprise and broke down leadership challenges that he has faced through his career. Cadets Jordan Oliver and Lanagston Kelly were our guest hosts who provided well thought-out questions and commentary for this episode. 

Dr. Nido Qubein is the President of High Point University, a motivational speaker, and sits on the board directors of Truist Financial and the La-Z-Boy company. Dr. Qubein spoke on what it means to be a transformational leader, harnessing a growth mindset, and teaches life skills in this episode. HPU students and Cadets of Det 605, Annabelle Barton, Matt Redbord, and Jaxon Willis, have received me...

Lt Col Matt "Frags" Feeman is an F-16 Reserve Pilot and a Fighter Weapons School Graduate. Frags dove deep into fighter aviation covering topics including UPT/ENJJPT, Joint Force combat exercises, and what it feels like to "strap on the jet". Our Cadet hosts are Chase Haley and Jaxon Willis who were inquisitive on how to go about transitioning to the Reserves or Air National Guard. 

Major David Thurber is a Flight Surgeon at Pope Airfield currently filling three roles in Aerospace Medicine. In this episode, Maj Thurber broke down the steps to getting from a Cadet to a Doctor in the Air Force while adding advice learned through his journey. Cadets Emma Campsey and Laila Jones, who are aspiring Air Force Doctors, interviewed Major Thurber, and covered many topics including MCAT...

Captain Geoff Adams is a Cyberspace Operations Officer and is currently a Detachment Cadre serving as the Recruiting Officer and AS100 instructor of Det 605. He spoke on his career story, dove into the 17D training pipeline, and recalled leadership experiences he had as a young officer. Capt Adams provided mentorship from a Det Cadre perspective while being interviewed by Cadet Logan Jolicoeur.

Lt Col George "Ripper" Chapman is a Missileer and is the current Deputy Executive Officer to the Commander, United States Central Command. Lt Col Chapman talked through the old training pipeline for Missileers and what it has developed into today. The Afghanistan exit, the purpose of NATO and other current affairs were all topics discussed from his lens working in CENTCOM.

Major Nicholas "Grizz" Adams is a Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) in the F-15 Strike Eagle. Grizz has had the unique job as an Instructor WSO in the back seat of an F-16 and just recently finished up a major assignment as Director of Operations at Luke AFB, AZ. On this episode he broke down the Combat Systems Officer career field pathways, his training, and offered stories and advice gained from his...

Lt Col Mark "Juice" Whisler is a F-16 pilot and the sitting AFROTC Detachment 605 Commander at North Carolina A&T SU. In this episode we dove in the Fighter Pilot career, current Detachment development and breaking the barriers we put on ourselves. Get ready for take off. 

Welcome to the Screaming Blackbird Podcast where you will be equiped with leadership lessons and career outlook to guide you through your journey to becoming a Military Officer.