Rooks get new skipper

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Northwest Navigator> WHIDBEY EDITION • Friday, MAY 7, 2010
Rooks get new skipper
By Lt. Kerry Rickert
VAQ-137
Cmdr. David Edgarton
relieved Cmdr. Gary
Patenaude as commanding officer of the Electronic
Attack Squadron (VAQ)
137 Rooks at a change of
command ceremony at NAS
Whidbey Island April 29.
Patenaude spent the past
15 months as commanding
officer of the Rooks. During
his tenure, the Rooks have
supported the Electronic
Attack Weapons School
(EAWS) through two
EAWS Fallon detachments,
two Nellis AFB Mission
Employment phases, three
carrier qualification detachments in support of Fleet
Readiness Squadron VAQ129, as well as participating in the First Annual
Gunfighter Flag 2009 at
Mountain Home AFB in
Cmdr. David Edgarton
Idaho.
The Rooks recently
returned from workups
with Carrier Air Wing One
including a successful Air
Wing Fallon, Nev., detachment in March and April;
all in preparation for an
early 2011 deployment on
USS Enterprise (CVN 65).
“I shall never hold a better
job than CO of the Rooks
and that is due entirely to
the Sailors and aviators of
VAQ-137,” said Patenaude.
Patenaude’s next tour will
be with Commander, U.S.
Fleet Cyber Command at
Fort Meade, Md.
Edgarton, a native of
Fond Du Lac, Wis., is a
graduate of the U.S. Naval
Academy Class of ’92. He
earned his Naval Flight
Officer Wings of Gold
in September 1994. As a
career Prowler Electronic
Countermeasures Officer,
he has accumulated over
1,600 hours and 400 carrier
arrested landings.
His tours include flying
Prowlers as a junior officer
with VAQ-135, attending the
Naval War College, serving
as a department head with
VAQ-131, as staff with the
Theodore Roosevelt Battle
Group, Joint Composite
Crew Squadron 1, and the
OPNAV staff. Edgarton has
been serving as the executive officer of VAQ-137
since January 2009.
“It is an honor to assume
command of VAQ-137,”
said Edgarton. “I look forward to taking the Rooks
back to sea.”
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