Leon A. Edney

Leon Albert Edney
Leon A. Edney in 1988
Born	(1935-03-01) March 1, 1935 (age 82) Dedham, Massachusetts
Allegiance	United States of America
Years of service	1957-1992
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Vice Chief of Naval Operations
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star

Leon Albert "Bud" Edney (born March 1, 1935) is a retired United States Navy officer. A native of Dedham, Massachusetts, he retired from the Navy as an admiral and served as vice chief of naval operations for the United States Navy.

Designated a naval aviator in 1958, Admiral Edney's first operational flying tours were with Air Antisubmarine Squadrons 27 and 24. Following his graduate studies at Harvard, he served a two-year tour in Washington, D. C., as a special assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations for research and development. In 1965, Edney transitioned to light attack jet aircraft and was assigned to Attack Squadron 164. In 1970, he was assigned to the staff of the chief of naval operations as the Western Hemisphere plans officer in the Political-Military Plans Division. He was selected as a White House Fellow in 1970 and served as a special assistant to the secretary of transportation. In 1971, Edney was named executive officer of Attack Squadron 27 and assumed command of the squadron the following year.

Edney assumed command of Carrier Air Wing Two embarked in the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61) in 1974. He then became the commanding officer of the fleet oiler USS Ponchatoula (AO-148) two years later. He then served as chief of staff for commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group FIVE before assuming command of the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64) in January 1980. Under his command, Constellation participated in RIMPAC '80 exercise with navies from the Pacific basin before deploying to the Western Pacific in April 1980. During this deployment, Constellation remained on station in the Indian Ocean for 110 straight days in support of U. S. foreign policy. In June 1981, Edney was designated a commodore admiral and became the sixty-ninth Commandant of Midshipmen at the US Naval Academy. In March 1984, he became commander, Carrier Group ONE and made another deployment to the Western Pacific embarked in Constellation the following year.