Meet Lt Col Lyons: 301st Fighter Squadron commander

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Alex Echols
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Growing up near the flightline and seeing air shows as a child is enough to inspire anyone to want to fly, but few take that dream and make it a reality.

Lt. Col. Andrew Lyons, 301st Fighter Squadron commander, moved around a lot like most military children. His father was an F-111 Aardvark pilot for the Air Force and this fueled his passion for flying.

"I wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force since I was five years old," Lyons said.

Lyons spent his high school years in Mountain Home, Idaho and considers it to be his home.

Following his dream, he enrolled in the Air Force Academy and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in behavioral science.

After college, he went to undergraduate pilot training in Texas and eventually on to F-16 Falcon training. His first and so far favorite assignment was to Aviano Air Base, Italy.

"That was hard to beat," said Lyons. "Living in Italy, having the opportunity to visit all the nearby countries, getting to know the Italian culture and living off-base in an Italian town was a once in a lifetime experience."

While stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Lyons met his wife, Cherie. They now have two children.

"My biggest hobby is taking care of my kids, a couple of 5 and 7 year old boys. Trying to keep up with them takes a lot of energy but beats any other hobby I can imagine."

He and his family enjoy the outdoors and were very excited when they found out they were moving to Tyndall.

"We are thrilled," said Lyons. "We've never lived by the water. We are looking forward to living near the east coast and not too far away from the beach."

During his Air Force career, Lyons has had many proud moments, but none compare to those taking place while he was downrange.

"My proudest moments in the Air Force definitely happened while flying combat missions in Iraq," he said. "I've had several opportunities to support ground troops through different means like shows of force, dropping bombs and strafing the enemy that American troops were engaged in. Then, after the bombs go off or the bullets hit, hearing that voice on the radio that says, 'That was awesome! You saved our lives!' Hitting the target and knowing that American troops might have been saved was as proud of a moment as I ever could have imagined as an Air Force pilot."

Lyons has flown more than 350 combat missions over Serbia and Iraq with 620 combat flight hours in the F-16. He has been flying the F-22 since 2012.

Lyons is looking forward to getting his squadron fully integrated and combat-ready. He's also excited to put his knowledge to use at Tyndall, and he wants to share this message with the base's Airmen:

"Be proud and passionate about what you do because it's a team effort to employ airpower," he said. "We couldn't do it without everyone fitting in their pieces of the puzzle. When it all comes together we're able to support the Nation with air power, and it's a great thing. Never lose sight of the big picture. This Air Force does great things around the world, and your job is as important as anyone else's and critical to the mission."