Active Navy SEAL receives Medal of Honor

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Byers, 36, became the first living sailor since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor in a ceremony Monday morning.
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Byers, a native of Grand Rapids, Ohio, was part of a SEAL Team Six rescue mission on Dec. 8 and 9, 2012, to recover American aid worker Dr. Dilip Joseph after he was taken hostage by Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Obama recounted Joseph's terrifying capture on Dec. 5, 2012, and the days he had spent in captivity, unsure if he would make it out alive.

"His captors told [Joseph], 'the Americans are not coming for you,' " Obama said. "They were wrong ... we sent some thunder and some lightning."

The mission started with a four-hour trek over mountainous terrain and primitive roads to where intelligence indicated Joseph was being held, in a compound in the Qarghah'i district of Laghman province.

Another member of the SEAL team, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, was the first into the compound , charging bravely to the entrance after a gate sentry was alerted to the presence of the team. He fell wounded from an AK-47 round to the head.

According to his summary of action, Byers was the second into the compound, sprinting in on Checque's heels. In the darkness, Byers first pulled down six layers of blankets that served as a primitive door, then began taking out enemy guards one by one. He took down one man, then jumped on another, grappling with him physically on the ground until he could adjust his night-vision goggles and identify him as the enemy.

After that threat was dispatched, Byers and his teammates began calling out for Joseph to determine his location. When the American doctor responded, Byers jumped on top of him, using his own body and body armor to protect the hostage. As he protected Joseph, Byers saw another enemy fighter armed with grenades. He managed to pin the man to the wall by his throat with one hand, allowing other members of his team to engage him.

After attending to Joseph and ensuring no more threats remained in the room, Byers turned his attention to Checque, using his background as a certified paramedic and former hospital corpsman to render aid and CPR during the wounded SEAL's flight to Bagram Air Base.

Tragically, Checque would not survive his wounds.
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http://www.military.com/daily-news/...egends-navy-seal-receives-medal-of-honor.html

Sounds justified imo.
 
Incredible story. Ex navy here and brought tears to my eyes.

I really wish these heroes got the attention they deserved. Incredible story, there are books detailing the heroism of MOH recipients and I suggest reading them. People, no matter where we come from, are able to do some amazing things and I'm glad we immortalized their legacy.
 
StannisTheMannis said:
you mean a Navy SEAL and not a seal which is an animal right?
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I'm sure at some point in history a seal has risen above and beyond the call.

No one was around to document Paul the seal rescue all his bros from floating tires.


I also feel like that would be a Russian thing to do, if an animal was cool enough they just give it medals anyway lol. Didn't a bear fight in WW2?
 
I hope that this thread gets the attention it deserves. This man is not just a badass because he's a badass, but because of his selfless attitude.

"The first thought in your mind is, I have to protect this person," Byers said, recalling the moment he leaped across the room and flung himself onto Joseph's body. "And since we wear body armor, it just made sense to immediately get on top of him and protect him against anything else that was happening."
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"I’d like to think that any one of my teammates that night would have done the exact same thing," he said. "And the people I work with, all of them, are truly great people and truly heroes, because I can’t tell you how many different times the men I work with have saved my life."
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"The easiest way to describe that is, it’s humbling and it’s an honor to be a representative of the Navy and the Naval Special Warfare community," he said. "I only hope that I can represent my brothers in a manner that they would approve of."
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Is it unusual for an active SEAL to get recognized like this? I was under the impression that they liked to keep any and all special operations details on the down-low.
 
Is the first guy through the door the noob or the craziest badass of the team?
 
ShoelessRye said:
Is the first guy through the door the noob or the craziest badass of the team?
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My guess is that it would be the guy that shows in training to be that guy. Reaction time, reflexes, accuracy, specialty, ability to quickly distinguish between hostage and threat. I'm sure they'd all be willing.
 
redwire said:
Is it unusual for an active SEAL to get recognized like this? I was under the impression that they liked to keep any and all special operations details on the down-low.
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Are you kidding me? they seem to print out books like they are going out of fashion although i think half of whats written is just pure BS.

Its nice to see a "feel good" account that its coming from a third party, man is a hero.

Fuck those that attack aid workers, dont give them any mercy.
 
Rod1 said:
Are you kidding me? they seem to print out books like they are going out of fashion although i think half of whats written is just pure BS.

Its nice to see a "feel good" account that its coming from a third party, man is a hero.

Fuck those that attack aid workers, dont give them any mercy.
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The books/movies that I'm aware of are all about guys who have moved on from the service. Lone Survivor, American Sniper, etc. Maybe I'm just not up on my reading.

As an aside, Marcus Luttrell gave a very emotional speech to my company at an annual meeting years ago. Afterwards, the CEO gave out a sales award, and announced that the sales guy was a 'Navy SEAL of sales'. It was embarrassing for everybody involved. Probably more than a little infuriating for Luttrell to have his accomplishments compared to a guy who's greatest daily danger is having a phone hung up on him.
 
redwire said:
The books/movies that I'm aware of are all about guys who have moved on from the service. Lone Survivor, American Sniper, etc. Maybe I'm just not up on my reading.

As an aside, Marcus Luttrell gave a very emotional speech to my company at an annual meeting years ago. Afterwards, the CEO gave out a sales award, and announced that the sales guy was a 'Navy SEAL of sales'. It was embarrassing for everybody involved. Probably more than a little infuriating for Luttrell to have his accomplishments compared to a guy who's greatest daily danger is having a phone hung up on him.
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I highly doubt it was infuriating for Luttrell and I don't think that was a disparaging thing to say. Glad to hear you got a chance to listen to him speak, though. Despite not being a very good natural speaker, what he has to say is invaluable to a team of any sort, including a corporate sales team. The same rules apply when you get right down to it.
 
Bukowski82 said:
I highly doubt it was infuriating for Luttrell and I don't think that was a disparaging thing to say. Glad to hear you got a chance to listen to him speak, though. Despite not being a very good natural speaker, what he has to say is invaluable to a team of any sort, including a corporate sales team. The same rules apply when you get right down to it.
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I know I've read a book by a SEAL where they talk about how they hate it when people compare themselves to SEALs without understanding what that really means. I'm fairly certain it was actually Luttrell's book, but I read a couple around the same time, so it's possible I've got the wrong one.
 
Bukowski82 said:
I highly doubt it was infuriating for Luttrell and I don't think that was a disparaging thing to say. Glad to hear you got a chance to listen to him speak, though. Despite not being a very good natural speaker, what he has to say is invaluable to a team of any sort, including a corporate sales team. The same rules apply when you get right down to it.
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It's a cringe-worthy thing to say, though. Years ago a politician in the UK tried to use the SAS motto, Who Dares, Wins and came off sounding like a complete and utter tool.
 
KnightTemplar said:
It's a cringe-worthy thing to say, though. Years ago a politician in the UK tried to use the SAS motto, Who Dares, Wins and came off sounding like a complete and utter tool.
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It may be cringe-worthy, but someone taking actual offense to a very clear compliment, even if it's misguided, is far more cringe-worthy.
 
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