Edward Byers
| Edward Byers | |
|---|---|
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Byers in March 2016
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| Born |
August 4, 1979 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1998 – present |
| Rank | Senior chief special warfare operator |
| Unit | Naval Special Warfare Development Group |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Bronze Star with Valor device (4) Purple Heart (2) Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor device Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Valor device (3) Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist badge Fleet Marine Force Enlisted Warfare Specialist device |
Edward Carl Byers Jr. (born August 4, 1979) is a United States Navy SEAL who received the Medal of Honor on February 29, 2016 for the rescue of a civilian in Afghanistan in 2012. He is the most decorated living Navy SEAL. Along with United States Army Major William D. Swenson, he is one of two Medal of Honor recipients serving on active duty.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Byers graduated from Otsego High School in Tontogany, Ohio in 1997. He is a Roman Catholic. His father is a World War II Navy veteran. While in his youth, he was a scout in the Boy Scouts of America achieving the rank of first class.
Byers enlisted in the United States Navy in September 1998 and went on to serve as a hospital corpsman. Byers first served at Great Lakes Naval Hospital and was later attached to 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines in 1999 and deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Austin (LPD-4). He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 2002 and graduated with Class 242. In 2003, Byers attended the Special Operations Combat Medic course. He was assigned to his first SEAL team in May 2004.
He served 11 overseas deployments including nine combat tours, fighting multiple times in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over the course of those deployments Byers received five Bronze Stars, one which was awarded with a valor device during an event that occurred sometime between late 2012 and early 2013, and another in April 2014.
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