Edward C. Byers Jr. received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama this morning. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Byers, a SEAL Team Six member, was honored for rescuing an American doctor, Dilip Joseph, who was held hostage in Afghanistan in 2012.
Edward C. Byers Jr.‘s Medal of Honor is making headlines. On Monday, as planned, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers, Jr. was at the White House with family and friends and the media where he received the country’s highest military honor from President Barack Obama.
Mr. Byers, a Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, is a member of the elite Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group, SEAL Team Six, who took part in a dramatic mission in 2012 in Afghanistan where one American service member was killed. In a lengthy speech, Obama praised the hero by saying:
“We are so grateful for your service to this nation, Byers is the consummate, quiet professional who would rather be elsewhere, but this ceremony gives Americans the chance to get a glimpse of a special breed of warrior who so often serves in the shadows.”
Byers, Jr., is the first living, active duty member of the Navy to receive the award in four decades. According to unclassified documents, in 2012, SEAL Team Six, was able to rescue Dr. Dilip Joseph and several staff members of the nonprofit agency, Morning Star Development, who were kidnapped and imprisoned in a Taliban compound hidden in the Afghan mountains. The first member, forward-most SEAL, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, who stepped foot in the compound, was “immediately shot in the head by enemy AK-47 fire.”
The documents went on to shed lights on the heroic actions taken by Byers to save both the doctor and the wounded SEAL Team Six member:
“When the other rescue team members asked Joseph to identify himself, Byers heard an unknown voice speaking English and immediately leaped across the room and selflessly flung his body on top of the American hostage, shielding him from the continued rounds being fired across the room. .. that while shielding Joseph with his body, Byers engaged another insurgent and was able to pin the enemy combatant to the wall with his hand around the enemy’s throat until the other members of the team could fire precision shots to take out the final enemy guard
In an attempt to keep Checque alive, Byers, a certified paramedic, performed CPR during the 40-minute flight to Bagram. Below are few tweets from countless Americans thanking and praising Edward C. Byers Jr. for his service.
What are your thoughts on Edward C. Byers Jr.’s Medal of Honor ceremony?
Today Navy SEAL #EdByers is awarded the #MedalOfHonor for his courage during a 2012 hostage rescue. Thank you for your service, Ed Byers.
— The Arcanum Group (@TheArcanumGroup) February 29, 2016
MT @WhiteHouse : “Ed saved the lives of several teammates—and that hostage” —@POTUS on #MedalOfHonor recipient @USNavy Senior Chief Ed Byers
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) February 29, 2016
MT @NSC44: “Our special operations forces are a strategic national asset. They teach us that humans are more important than hardware”-@POTUS
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) February 29, 2016
Thank you, Ed Byers.
11 deployments.
9 combat tours.
5 Bronze Stars with valor.
2 Purple Hearts.#MedalOfHonorhttps://t.co/yCBd6n21gA— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 29, 2016
Watch as this #USNavy SEAL describes the mission he'll receive the #MedalOfHonor for at @WhiteHouse todayhttps://t.co/CceaANzPHr
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) February 29, 2016
.@POTUS presents #MedalOfHonor to #USNavy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. pic.twitter.com/TkiqDSxkmz
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) February 29, 2016
President Obama awards Navy SEAL Edward Byers the #MedalOfHonor. https://t.co/nFrxgqpis9 pic.twitter.com/UsqeGSPwho
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 29, 2016
So proud of you and your team mates. Thank you Chief Byers we are all grateful for your blood, sweat and efforts.