A Navy SEAL who helped rescue an American doctor being held hostage by the Taliban will be awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama at the end of the month.
Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers, a 36-year-old member of SEAL Team 6, will be presented the nation’s highest military honor in a ceremony in the White House on Feb. 29.
Byers was part of the team that conducted a nighttime raid on a Taliban compound in Afghanistan in 2012 to rescue an American doctor. Much of the details of the mission remain a secret, though the White House usually discloses more about the account resulting in the service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
According to the White House, it was “his courageous actions while serving as part of a team that rescued an American civilian being held hostage in Afghanistan, December 8-9, 2012.”
The doctor, Dilip Joseph, told USA Today that the selflessness of SEAL Team 6 left the most lasting impression on him.
“It was amazingly clinical how they handled the whole situation,” Joseph said after detailing some of what he remembers from the raid. “They’re just amazing. They’re very good at what they’re trained to do. But they’re human too.”
Only five Navy SEALS have ever been awarded the Medal of Honor, and Byers is the first living sailor to earn the honor since 1998. It was a SEAL Team 6 unit that found and killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Byers already has a slew of military decorations, including five Bronze Stars with valor and two Purple Hearts.
Byers was born in Toledo, Ohio, and graduated from Otesgo High School in Tontogany, Ohio in 1977. He joined the Navy in September 1998 and is set to graduate from Norwich University this year. He has completed eight overseas deployments with seven combat tours.
Byers will be joined by his family for the White House ceremony this month, the White House said Tuesday.
