Lt. Cmdr. Leonard Lyon relieved Lt. Cmdr. George Byford as commanding officer of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 17 on Sunday, June 26. The ceremony was conducted at the Seaplane Base Marina with Rear Adm. Dirk J. Debbink, Reserve Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, U.S. Pacific Fleet, as guest speaker. Also in attendance was Capt. Jan Schwarzenberg, deputy commodore, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group One.

Byford is executing orders to Commander U.S. Forces Korea. He will be accompanied to Seoul by his wife Maria MacDonald of Melrose, Mass., and their three children: Daniel, 8, Emily, 5, and Madeline, 4.

Lyon was born on the 4th of July in Washington, D.C. and grew up in a suburb of Cleveland. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., from August 1988 to May 1992 where he earned a B.S. in Physics. For the next year as an inactive reserve Officer, he worked with the Photonics Labs at Griffis Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y.

Next he attended Surface Warfare Officer School Pacific in Coronado from June to September 1993 with follow-on orders to the Naval Diving and Salvage Center in Panama City, Fla., from October 1993 to June 1994. After some follow-on schools, he served as first lieutenant, supply officer, assistant chief engineer and assistant navigator on board Mine Countermeasures Rotational Crew Golf (MCM ROTCREW G) from August 1994 to December 1996. During his time in Corpus Christi, he rotated to five ships: USS Devastator (MCM 6); USS Guardian (MCM 5) in Sasebo, Japan; USS Sentry (MCM-3); USS Pioneer (MCM 9); and USS Dextrous (MCM 13) in Manama, Bahrain.

He completed two deployments, re-deployed with MCM Squadron One for contingency operations in Korea, and did an exchange program to the Royal Navy on board HMS Sandown.

From January to November 1997, he attended Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training at Eglin, Fla., and Indian Head, Md. Upon graduation, he was assigned to EOD Mobile Unit Two in Norfolk from December 1997 to September 2000 where he deployed as Detachment Officer in Charge on board USS Enterprise (CVN 65) during Operation Desert Fox and as EOD Task Unit Commander with Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group Eight (CCDG8) on USS Eisenhower (CVN 69).

In November 2000, Lyon transferred to EODMU2 Detachment Newport, R.I., as Officer in Charge, where he also earned his MBA from University of Rhode Island, graduating with honors.

In July 2002, Lyon reported to Commander Carrier Group Two (CCG2) and deployed on board USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served flag watch officer for more than 25 ships.

On completion of the deployment, he was requested by COMSECONDFLT to replace two reserve commanders being demobilized and act as continuity until four replacements arrived.

In December 2003, he transferred to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Test and Technology Support Division as Chief of Safety for high explosive testing.

Lyon is married to the former Carrie E. Higgs of Baltimore. Their son Gunner was welcomed to the family on April 12 of this year.