He was a “naked warrior” during World War II and Korea, a spy in China, a Navy SEAL, a mayor and one of the greatest surfers to ride the waves in Oceanside.
He was a “naked warrior” during World War II and Korea, a spy in China, a Navy SEAL, a mayor and one of the greatest surfers to ride the waves in Oceanside.
Retired Rear Adm. Richard “Dick” Lyon, the first Navy SEAL team reservist to become a flag officer, died Feb. 3 from age-related renal failure at his home in Oceanside. He was 93.
Called a modern Forrest Gump by his children because of his rich and varied life, he was known by war-hardened commandos for his stern demeanor in the face of danger and by his family as a God-fearing joker who toiled to make life better for the neediest of kids as a founding trustee of Children’s Hospital in Orange County.
“We used to say that there are bold demo men and there are old demo men, but there aren’t any old and bold demo men. Well, Dick proved us all wrong. He was old and bold and full of life until the day he died,” said retired Rear Adm. Garry Bonelli, a longtime friend.
Lyon was born July 14, 1923, in Anaheim.
A record-breaking swimmer, he was selected to the U. S. Olympic team for the 1940 games in Tokyo, but the games were canceled because of World War II.
After graduating from Yale University and attending Columbia University Midshipman School in New York, he saw a poster seeking strong swimmers interested in volunteering for a special warfare unit tasked with using explosives.
Lyon joined the Scouts and Raiders, the forerunners of today’s SEAL teams, and learned the art of the “naked warrior” — sneaking onto enemy beaches armed with only a Ka-Bar knife stuck in his web belt and blowing up sea mines.
Lyon is believed to be one of the first commandos to walk on Japanese soil in the wake of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Released from active duty in 1946, he joined the 7th Fleet in Shanghai as a staff scout intelligence officer.
