Cmdr. Todd M. Trago
Executive Officer, TACRON 21
02 March 2021
CDR Todd “Switch” Trago hails from Herndon, VA and attended The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. At The Citadel, he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering, and was commissioned as an Ensign in May 2004. While waiting to attend flight school, CDR Trago was unexpectedly invited to attend the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey California. At NPS, he earned a MS in Mechanical Engineering.
CDR Trago attended flight training in Pensacola, FL, and earned his ‘Wings of Gold’ in 2007. He selected the MH-53E Sea Dragon and reported for operational duty to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fourteen (HM-14). While attached to HM-14, CDR Trago achieved the qualifications of AMCM Mission Commander, AMCM Instructor Pilot, NATOPS Instructor, Instrument Check Pilot, and Functional Check Pilot
Following sea duty at HM-14, CDR Trago was hand selected for follow-on orders as a Fleet Replacement Squadron Instructor Pilot at the Airborne Mine Countermeasures Weapon Systems Training School (AWSTS). In the summer of 2012, CDR Trago attended MAWTS-1 for the academic portion of WTI, and was subsequently designated a Sea Dragon Weapons and Tactics Instructor (SWTI) pilot.
CDR Trago departed AWSTS for the Fleet in January 2015 and reported to HM-15 as an Aviation Department Head. In addition to AMCM Mission Commander and Instructor duties, he worked as an Administration Officer, Training Officer, and Maintenance Officer. He deployed to the squadron’s FIFTH Fleet Detachment in Bahrain as the Officer-in-Charge of a four-aircraft, 130-person detachment. Upon completion of his Department Head tour in February 2018, he transitioned to NAVAIR and his assignment as the Navy Engineering Class Desk at PMA-261.
CDR Trago has accrued over 1500 flight hours in the MH-53E. His personal decorations include the Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal.