A proud member of a family steeped in military tradition,
Andrew Lyons ’82SVC, ’97G originally came to St. John's University
because of its acclaimed Army ROTC
program. “I had always wanted to join the United States Army,
but my father — who went in as an enlisted man — encouraged me to
get my degree and go in as an officer.” Now a Lieutenant Colonel,
Lyons has spent 28 years in the army — 12 on active duty and 16 in
the reserves.
Lt. Col. Lyons has also spent 22 years at St. John’s, currently
as Associate Director of the University
Freshman Center. He is part of a three-generation ROTC
tradition. His father-in-law, Colonel Jim Rafferty, is the former
Professor of Military Science at St. John's ROTC, and his oldest
son, Captain Andrew A. Lyons III ’04C, received his army commission
from the program.
Both father and son were briefly deployed together in Iraq,
their tours overlapping by three months. Although they were in
separate units, Lt. Col. Lyons, who served as an advisor to the
Iraqi army, was able to visit his son frequently. “I traveled all
over the country, while my son was assigned to the 10th Mountain
Division out of Camp Victory,” he said. “I would fly in and visit
him there.”
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