Training Squadron 35 SAU holds Change of Command ceremony

Training Squadron (VT) 35 Squadron Augmentee Unit (SAU) held a change of command ceremony aboard Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Jan. 25.

Cmdr. Robert Rajotte relinquished command to Cmdr. Michael Mills during the event, which doubled as Rajotte’s retirement ceremony.

Retired Navy Capt. Edwin B. Smedberg has been Rajotte’s mentor since before Rajotte’s Navy journey began and served as guest speaker. Smedberg received his Naval Aviator “Wings of Gold” Jan. 25, 1960, exactly 59 years prior, and passed those wings on to Rajotte when he graduated from flight school.

“Capt. Smedberg pinned the first ‘Wings of Gold’ on my chest,” said Rajotte.

“Those wings were the ones his father pinned on him, which were pure gold. Despite my reluctance to take them, he told me without hesitation, these are the wings he’d like me to take. I was to let them guide me through my Navy career, and when I’m done with them, return them to his family.”

Rajotte presented Smedberg a framed photo with Smedberg’s family wings affixed beneath.

“Rob has served his Navy well and has every right to be as proud of his many accomplishments as I am of him,” Smedberg said.

Rajotte is a native of Elk Mound, Wisconsin. He completed primary flight training with Training Squadron 27 and received his wings at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma.

He completed multiple deployments to Europe and served as aircraft commander, mission commander and instructor pilot on the E-6B Mercury aircraft.

Rajotte reported to VT-35 as an instructor pilot in the TC-12 Huron.

He also took special pride as Pilot for a Day coordinator for VT-35’s award winning children’s outreach program earning him a place in the 2007 Corpus Christi Under 40 Honorees.

In December 2008, Rajotte transferred to the Navy Reserve and was hired by Dynamic Aviation where he served two deployments as a contract pilot in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Hired by Southwest Airlines in 2011, he is currently a first officer on the Boeing 737 based out of Denver, Colorado.

Mills is a native of Corpus Christi and earned his wings in 2001.

He went on to fly the P-3 Orion in Jacksonville, Florida, after which he reported to Whidbey Island, Washington, where he completed deployments to Japan and Diego Garcia, qualifying as a patrol plane commander, mission commander, functional check pilot and instructor pilot.

In 2005, he was assigned to Training Squadron 27 in Corpus Christi as a T-34C instructor pilot where he also served as the ground training officer and pilot training officer.

Upon transferring to the Navy Reserve, he was assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 46 in Fort Worth, Texas.

He flew the C-9B Skytrain and provided worldwide air logistical support to the fleet.

He currently flies with United Airlines as a first officer and is qualified in the Boeing 757, 767, 737 and Airbus A319/320.

The SAUs within Chief of Naval Air Training were established in October 2002 and provide mission-capable units and individuals to the Navy-Marine Corps team throughout the full range of operations from peace to war.

VT-35 SAU’s Reserve members include airline pilots, simulator instructors, mortgage brokers, U.S. Customs pilots, managers, and business owners.

Several members from VT-35 SAU have been mobilized to active duty worldwide.