Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. to receive Medal of Honor (Updated)
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WASHINGTON (Feb. 24, 2016) Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama during a White House ceremony Feb. 29. Byers is receiving the medal for his actions during a 2012 rescue operation in Afghanistan. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
At about 1:30 this afternoon, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr. will be awarded the Medal of Honor at the White House. You can watch the ceremony at this link, live when the ceremony starts. In the meantime, Chief Byers tells the story of the action in December 2012 that earned him the award in this video that the Navy sent to us the other day;
For the record, it doesn’t look like Chief Byers is very excited about all of the attention, according to an interview in the Washington Post sent to us by Chief Tango;
Byers is believed to be the first service member to ever receive the Medal of Honor for actions while serving with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, commonly known as SEAL Team 6. Defense officials declined to confirm that, but said that Byers is the first living SEAL to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. U.S. officials have previously acknowledged that the 2012 raid was carried out by SEAL Team 6.
“I’ve lived my entire career a very private life,” Byers said Friday in an interview at the Pentagon. “We don’t talk about what we do, and this honor carries with it some obligations that I need to carry out. You know, you follow those through. But, I plan to continue doing my job as normal and to continue being a SEAL. It’s something I love and grew up wanting to be.”
UPDATE: The Navy PAO sends us links to their photos from the ceremony;
They also sent us a link to an info-graphic of the operation.
Category: Navy
Salute!
HOOOOOAH ! ! ! !
Outstanding Job. keep the faith and stay humble like you have been Bravo Zulu. Much Respect you SEAL Docs are in your own class. Had one help me down range 2012 at a VSP and will never forget….Thank you for your service…
Let me clarify above, not wounded had a broken finger from a JERV door closing on it and needed to be able to hold my forward grip for convoy and trip to the next VSP. Just a little baby not a bad ass like them..
I froze my toes almost solid at Ft Wainwright back in 1976…
I don’t suppose that qualifies for any medal either…
Sigh…
Well done, Senior Chief. Damn well done.
Good Job Senior!
And the “thanks” that he and the Team got from the doctor they saved was an accusation that they killed an EPW.
Kudos to Chief Byers and RIP to SWO Checque.
Not entirely true…heard him speak last fall and while he did talk about them whacking the bad guy, he was effusive in his thanks to these guys. He also stated that he realized the truth behind their actions and that it was the only way out of there. He was pretty torn up about the loss of Nic Checque.
Quiet Professional…
Deserves the Medal, but has earned his privacy.
Well Done
His delivery is very deliberate, thoughtful, but smooth. He says very little about the specifics of the op and glosses over what he did, preferring to speak of the team and the SEAL who Fell that night. I don’t know whether he can go back to doing what he loves now. For his sake, I hope so, but I doubt it. I know it has been done before (Marine John Basilone comes to mind. He received the Medal of Honor for action on Guadalcanal and was later LIS on Iwo Jima.) The Navy. in general, and the SEALs, in particular, must be greatly proud, although I think that Byers would prefer that everyone just keep quiet about it.
LIS? KIA. Darn puter. Darn Skynet.
Here’s to you, Senior Chief.
I will just go ahead and save that picture in my poser reference file. I promise, that will sadly be Photoshop material in the future.
Its sad that I can’t celebrate the outstanding achievements of an honorable man without thinking about some shit stain stealing his picture.
Ditto.
You know, I was thinking exactly the same thing.
Bravo Zulu, Senior Chief!
Bravo Zulu Senior Chief
Just when I thought the country was completely in the shitter, Senior Chief Byers pops up and gives me hope.
This is indeed outstanding.
It’s tough though to see how it contrasts to what happened to SFC Martland. I’m not saying SFC Martland should be medaled, I am saying he shouldn’t have been kicked out.
So true…
Note that I said “completely”. SFC Martland’s problem was the ROEs were written by some encounter group more interested in how things look than getting results. That said group should be dropped off in the center of Syria and see how those ROE works out for them.
Amen on that my friend…
And Bravo Zulu to you SIR!!!
Right on yes sir.
BZ Senior … HooYah!
Damn proud of ya, Senior Chief.
Well done Senior Chief.
Congrats Senior Chief
Damn, in 3rd Recon Bn in the 80s, the article would read “Senior Chief’s Meritorious Mast for valor was misplaced by S1. He received a Letter of Reprimand instead, for 1 charge of reckless endangerment”!!
Hooyah, Brother!
Just saw the news report on this. That is an impressive rack he has no doubt and that MOH just cranked up the volume! Nice job senior chief!
Just a word about protocol – in the Navy, we prefer to use the phrases – Chief, Senior Chief (or just Senior if you are acquainted), and Master Chief (or just Master if you are given permission by said master Chief). They will tolerate misuse by our brothers in the Army and Air Force since they might not know better. Obviously Marines can tell the difference and give and receive the proper courtesies in return.
We are all basking in the glory and honor that Senior Chief brings to the Naval Service and the nation he so selflessly serves. BZ shipmate
http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/moh/byers.html
Some posers and the people that swear to their secrecy that lurk here might want to notice the general info about the Senior Chief including his BUDS Class number are out in the open. A ST6 operator, no less.
Now this guy is a true “bad ass”. No movie will ever be made, because he won’t let it happen. No “spot light” for this guy. He’s the essence of a top tier operator.
Don Shipley, take note. He’s a SEAL who has been there, faced the enemy eye to eye. Unlike like your, never been anywhere, do anything, desk jockey SEAL ass. Your records prove it. Gotta love the FOIA.
*Don Shipley, take note.* Blah, Blah, Blah.
WTF is that paragraph all about?
Is someone confusing the characters in this thread or questioning the integrity of *The Hair?*
Disregard my comment below. It was intended to be a reply to Robin’s comment. Just not enough coffee yet this morning.
Robin, was your comment a little out of your lane?
From 1975 to 2001, look at how many people were on active duty vs. the number of conflicts we were involved in.
Not everyone got the call to go in harms way.
Excuse me? I believe you have no clue who or what you are talking about.
*Don Shipley, take note.* Blah, Blah, Blah.
WTF is that paragraph all about?
Robin: Batman called. He asked me to tell you to re-wash the Batmobile by 3 p.m. today and it had better look good. He also said to wash your tights before you sit in it this time.
Congratulations, Senior Chief!