Lt Colonel McFatridge is Commander of Detachment 045, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Professor of Aerospace Studies at San Jose State University, California. He is responsible for the recruiting, education, training, motivation, selection, and commissioning of officer candidates through a comprehensive college program. Detachment 045 serves AFROTC cadets from nine different colleges and universities in the Silicon Valley region.

Colonel McFatridge was commissioned in 1993 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. After commissioning, he served as a space surveillance crew commander prior to being selected to attend Specialized Undergraduate Navigator Training, where he recieved his wings in 1996. Through two F-15E Strike Eagle and two EA-6B Prowler operational assignments, Colonel McFatridge has accumulated over 2,400 total flight hours, with over 1000 hours in each aircraft, including over 1000 combined combat hours in support of Operations NORTHERN WATCH, ALLIED FORCE, IRAQI FREEDOM, and ENDURING FREEDOM.