Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward Byers to be awarded Medal of Honor

| February 2, 2016

Medal of Honor

The White House announces that Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward Byers will be awarded the Medal of Honor on February 29th. The circumstances of his deeds is still classified, the announcement states merely that he is being awarded the Medal for rescuing a civilian on December 8-9, 2012.

Senior Chief Byers entered the Navy in September 1998, attending boot camp and Hospital Corpsman School at Great Lakes, Illinois. He served at Great Lakes Naval Hospital, and then with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 2002, he attended the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL course, graduating from Class 242, and completed the Special Operations Combat Medic course in 2003. Senior Chief Byers has been assigned to various east coast SEAL teams, and completed eight overseas deployments with seven combat tours.

Senior Chief Byers’ awards and decorations include five awards of the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V device, two awards of the Purple Heart, the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor device, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V device, two additional awards of the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two awards of the Combat Action Ribbon, three Presidential Unit Citations, two Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, two Navy Unit Commendations, and five Good Conduct Medals.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff writes in the Washington Post about the action that earned Byers the Medal of Honor.

Category: Navy

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Just An Old Dog

Glad to see he is getting a proper reward. I hope this sets a precedent for awards to Spec ops types.

Zero Ponsdorf

BZ Senior Chief. How do you get your pants on?

Looks there might be some huge items in the way.

rgr1480

Looks there might be some huge items in the way.

Hell, me too … I got a boner from just reading all his V-device awards!

Ex-PH2

It’s not the awards that count.

It’s who wears them.

A Proud Infidel®™

A steel-balled, Kevlar-skinned horsehide-tough WARRIOR to say the least.

HMC Ret

From one Corpsman to another, damn impressive HMCS. I am humbled by men and women such as you. BZ

HMCS(FMF) ret.

AMEN!!!

tyler

He is not and never was an HMCS.

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

STFU!

You are not a Chief!

Robin

might want to contact Don Shipley about this seal. he claims nothings classified. whoever he rescued was no doubt a high profile individual. warrior to say the least, more like one bad ass MF

desert

Sure hope it wasn’t a dumocrap! 😉

IDC SARC

Shipley never said operational details aren’t ever classified. He states correctly that being a SEAL is not classified.

tyler

He is not and never was an HMCS.

Toasty Coastie

And where is your proof there Sparkle ony Tyler? How do you know he isn’t an HMCS? Pretty sure the folks that award the Medal of Honour are gong to screw someone’s rank ad title up.

Moron.

Toasty Coastie

fat fingered the keys lol…should have said…

Pretty sure the folks that award the Medal of Honour are NOT going to screw up the rank and title of the recipient of the award.

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

For those playing the UNKLASSERFRIED version of TAH at home, in some circles the rescue was well reported on. Sorry for the preposition at the end of the previous sentence. I did not intend to. Sh!t, did it again …

Oh, the Senior Chief is a great guy, skilled and now a living example of American Exceptionalism.

BZ Senior Chief …

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

I believe a team mate was killed in during this successful rescue of a US doctor.

mr. sharkman

Nick Checque.

FW&FS Brother.

JPB

I was in Afghanistan during this event. I know Nick. been trying to get hold of his family to give my condolences in any means. Facebook, Arlington National Cemetery. a Great loss, Not taking anything away from this recipient, but Nick is A Medal of Honor level Warrior in his own right.

OWB

Well done. Thank you for doing whatever it was that you did on our behalf.

There are many things that we just don’t need to know. Details of the operation for which he is receiving this award apparently is one of them. I can live quite happily with that.

jonp

How the hell does that stud walk with that giant Christmas Tree on his chest?

Fantastic one of the good guys is getting the recognition he deserves but I bet he will tell you he didn’t do anything his team mates wouldn’t and haven’t done.

This is one case where the “I’d tell you but my records are still classified” is true beyond doubt.

JarHead Pat

My girlfriend just got pregnant from reading this, that is one hot load of Merica. FYI does anyone know wtf happened to the website/blog bring the heat bring the stupid, its say it got taken down for violating something blah blah blah.

sj

No NDSM? Pffft…I have one. But, alas, I have nothing else that compares to this certifiable Bad MF’er. Salute, Senior Chief. Gents like you enable us to sleep well.

Robin

Sorry Don, you were right. Nothing classgied as son as the media gets it’s hands on it.

Check out USA Today’s reason for this bad ass MF’s MOH….told you the person was a high value target.

Dramatic Taliban hostage rescue earns Navy SEAL the Medal of Honor

Robin

classified

Robin

fucking JD “soon”

MCPO NYC USN Ret.

Was NOT a HVT. Was a USPERS in need of rescue.

A HVT is something entirely different.

GDContractor

Great improvement managing those prepositions Master Chief. Here, have a Jamesons.

OSC(SW) Retired

USA Today is retarded anyway. They ran the story about a Navy Senior Chief being awarded the MOH and tagged it with a photo of an Army MOH.

OldSoldier54

Senior Chief Byers has been in the thick of it, judging from the combat associated fruit salad.

An outer confirmation of your inner character. That you will now receive The Medal is the highest confirmation of that character that America has. Please father many children and pass those traits on, because the Republic will need them.

God bless you, young man. Thank you for serving.

Skippy

HOOOOOOOAH ! ! ! !

Awesome !!!!!!!

SFC D

What’s that CLANG CLANG I hear

Silentium Est Aureum

Read what they’ve released on his MOH citation. Then look at it again.

Very lacking in detail, which tells me we may never hear the whole story publicly.

And that’s fine by me. He was recognized and he did things that the chain of command put him in for the medal without any hesitation.

Three years might seem like a long time, but in this day and age it’s damn quick for a living recipient.

BZ, Senior Chief.

B Woodman

DAMN! Makes Audie Murphy look like a slacked.
BZ, Chief, BZ.

B Woodman

Damned spell check autocorrect.
“Slacker”.

HMC Ret

“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men [and women] stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” — George Orwell

I injected (and women) into the quote.

IDC SARC

BZ!

Semper Idem

I can just see old Don Shipley beaming with pride in his beloved SEAL Teams all the way over here in Northern Virginia.

Congratulations, Senior Chief Byers. ;o)

QM1

Hooyah Senior!

Hondo

Well done, Senior Chief Byers. Damn well done.

JohnE

I heard Dilip Joseph, the rescued hostage speak last year. Pretty crazy story…he was really broken up about the loss of Nic Checque.

I am glad we still have men like this in our country who are willing to sacrifice for others.

CB Senior

Beware of the Even numbered Chiefs, we will get you every time.

Bill M

Damn! BZ Senior Chief.