Humble Navy SEAL to Receive Medal of Honor

Edward Byers Jr who will receive the Medal of Honor can be described in three word no nonsense, humble, and focused . Byers is believed to be the first service member ever to receive the Medal of Honor for actions while serving with the Naval Special Development Warfare Group, also known as Seal Team Six. His actions are credited with saving the life of an American hostage taken prisoner by the Taliban.

In December 2012, Marine General John Allen selected Byers and a group of SEALS to rescue Dr.  Dilip Joseph, who had been working as an aide worker in Afghanistan, but had been kidnapped by the Taliban. Byers would engage multiple Taliban fighters during the raid, and used himself as a human shield to protect the doctor from gunfire.

Byers grew up in Grand Rapids, Ohio small town which is just south of Toledo. His father had served in the Navy during World War II and at a young age Byers wanted to follow suit and join the Navy and hoped to become a SEAL. When he saw the 1990  action movie Navy SEALS with Charlie Sheen that sealed it for him.

Byers enlisted in 1998 just after graduating from Otsego High School in 1997 where he played varsity soccer. His alma matter will be broadcasting the ceremony live to students and faculty. Cheryl Jones a Health and Physical Education teacher recalls “Eddie” as a quit kid who did as he was told and with respect to teachers.

Byers served as a Navy corpsman and eventually a medic. He served at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago and also as a Corpsman with the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

He entered the  Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) in San Diego. He also took a special operations combat medic course in 2003.  He was assigned to his first SEAL team in May 2004 and was stationed in Little Creek, Virginia. Byers has been deployed 11 times, 9 of which have been to combat zones.

Byers stated, “I liked everything about it what they represented, or what I thought they represented.The difficult missions they take on, the secrecy in what they do, the special operations, the cool gear, and the equipment.”

Byers heroics in the battlefield have supposedly resulted in two purple hearts from being wounded in combat and five bronze stars recognizing heroism. A devout Catholic, Byers says he gets his strength from St. Michael the Archangel who led an army into heaven to battle evil forces.

Despite finding out the honor in December, Byers has insisted he is no hero, and that the real hero’s are the SEAL’s who make the ultimate sacrifice like his friend Nick Chequa.

Byers is married and has an 11-year old daughter and credits his family, friends, and tight knit SEAL community for keeping him motivated and continuing to serve. He also admits the deployments do take a toll and he has been deployed every year since the birth of his daughter.

Byers is only one of eight living Navy Medal of Honor recipients. There are 78 living Medal of Honor recipients from other military branches.

When Byers was asked what he’s done since 2012 he simply stated, “whatever the nation has asked.” Byers plans to stay in the Navy as long as he loves the job, and he wants to make others who have earned the Navy Seal insignia, the Trident, proud.