Cmdr. David Dwyer, commanding officer of Surface Warfare Officers School Command Unit (SWOSU) Great Lakes, turned over command to Cmdr. Eric Williams in a change of command ceremony June 24 at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois.

Dwyer, a 32-year Navy veteran, served as SWOSU CO since June 2014. He attended basic and accession-level training in Great Lakes, and also served as an instructor at Surface Warfare Officers School Command (SWOS) in Newport, Rhode Island. Dwyer was selected for chief petty officer in 1994, and was commissioned as a limited duty officer (LDO) two years later. He will move on to serve as deputy commander of the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center in Yokosuka, Japan.

Capt. David Welch, SWOS commanding officer, served as the guest speaker at the ceremony.

"David Dwyer has had a tremendous impact on training in our surface fleet," said Welch. "If you look in his biography, you'll see there is an entire career that has been spent in mentorship, leadership and training."

Among the many advances in curriculum development which took place in the two years Dwyer served as CO, Welch also discussed what he called an "amazing advancement rate of SWOSU instructors," and the "infectious, positive, can-do attitude of the SWOSU staff." Welch also said he believes SWOSU Great Lakes is "the model for ready, relevant learning among the surface fleet."

During his tenure as SWOSU CO, Dwyer led over 200 staff members in the delivery of 41 courses of instruction to more than 29,500 active-duty and civilian accessions. In addition, nine of Dwyer's enlisted instructors were selected for commissioning programs, 80 Sailors earned their Master Training Specialist certifications, and 75 of his staff members earned college degrees.

During the ceremony, Dwyer was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. In his speech, Dwyer frequently reflected how "it takes a village." He explained no one command can be successful on their own without the support of others. Dwyer thanked the staff of Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society; Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program representatives; Family Advocacy Program representatives; Drug and Alcohol Program Advisors; the USO; Navy Exchange; Training Support Center Great Lakes; and, of course, his own staff. According to Dwyer, "being a commanding officer is a privilege, not a right."

After the ceremonious reading of the official orders, Dwyer relinquished command to Williams.

"It's great to be back," said Williams, who previously attended apprentice-level training and served as a recruit division commander at Great Lakes. "I could not have asked for a better situation, both personally and professionally."

Cdmr. Eric Williams comes to Great Lakes from Sasebo, Japan, where he served as chief engineer aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHA 6) and deputy commander of Amphibious Force 7th Fleet.

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