Ed Byers is a native of Grand Rapids, Ohio. The son of a World War II Navy Veteran, he grew up in a patriotic family, always flying our flag at their farm. But his interest in military service was motivated by great movies and books about Navy SEALs. He was fascinated by the operations and technology used by special operators. “That was the catalyst for why I wanted to join the military,” he says.

After graduating from Otsego High School, he enlisted in the Navy in September 1998, training as a hospital corpsman and initially serving at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. His first deployment was with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard USS Austin.

In 2002, Ed qualified for Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, graduating with BUD/S Class 242.

He recalls: “There is no way to describe what BUDS is like. You are cold, wet, sandy, and miserable for eight months to nine months. And that’s if you make it all the way through without getting injured or getting rolled back. We started off with 200 people plus in our class. We came out of hell week with a very large number of people [almost 90], and we graduated with only 23 or 24 original members of our class. … My biggest sense of pride and joy, I think, really came at the end of hell week because that was the culmination of my entire upbringing of wanting to become a SEAL and knowing that that was the hurdle.”

After SEAL Qualification Training, Ed attended the Special Operations Combat Medic course, and then was assigned to his first SEAL team in May 2004. That was the beginning of 15 years of deployments and nine combat tours, including multiple missions in Iraq and then Afghanistan — before Joe Biden’s disastrous and deadly surrender and retreat from Afghanistan.

It was for his actions during a hostage rescue operation on 8-9 December 2012 that Ed, then with SEAL Team 6, would earn a Medal of Honor, becoming the first living SEAL to receive the Medal since Vietnam. It was a mission to free an American physician who had been captured by the Taliban while working for a relief organization.

According to his Medal of Honor citation:

As the rescue force approached the target building, an enemy sentry detected them and darted inside to alert his fellow captors. The sentry quickly reemerged, and the lead assaulter attempted to neutralize him. Chief Byers with his team sprinted to the door of the target building. As the primary breacher, Chief Byers stood in the doorway fully exposed to enemy fire while ripping down six layers of heavy blankets fastened to the inside ceiling and walls to clear a path for the rescue force. The first assaulter pushed his way through the blankets, and was mortally wounded by enemy small arms fire from within. Chief Byers, completely aware of the imminent threat, fearlessly rushed into the room and engaged an enemy guard aiming an AK- 47 at him. He then tackled another adult male who had darted towards the corner of the room. During the ensuing hand-to-hand struggle, Chief Byers confirmed the man was not the hostage and engaged him.

As other rescue team members called out to the hostage, Chief Byers heard a voice respond in English and raced toward it. He jumped atop the American hostage and shielded him from the high volume of fire within the small room. While covering the hostage with his body, Chief Byers immobilized another guard with his bare hands, and restrained the guard until a teammate could eliminate him. His bold and decisive actions under fire saved the lives of the hostage and several of his teammates.

(Listen to Ed’s account of the hostage rescue here.)

At Ed’s induction into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work noted: “His humility, precision, coolness under fire, selflessness, and incredible warrior spirit would seem too fantastical for us to believe. But his deadly skill and willingness to sacrifice himself to save [an American doctor’s] life is anything but fantastical.” He added of Ed and his Team: “They truly embody the phrase ‘uncommon valor is a common virtue.’ They have always answered the call, and they have suffered a heavy price.”

Ed said of his fellow SEAL, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Checque, who was point man in that rescue operation and mortally wounded: “I was lucky. I made it out with very few scratches, and Nic Checque didn’t. He made the ultimate sacrifice. But there have been a lot of our brothers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and they died like warriors die. I would like to think he would do that all over again. Very few people can say they died doing something they love, and he’ll forever be remembered in the pages of history as being a truly great hero. Checque was a brother, a warrior, and a friend, and though I’ve said this repeatedly, this award is inseparable from his death. He was hard as nails, never quit, and had a never-fail mentality.”

Ed displays the humility common to MoH recipients: “I want to emphasize I am no different than any of my teammates. I’m certain any one of them would have taken the same actions that I did that day. My brothers who are still fighting are still in the shadows and deserve to share the spotlight.” But most of them must remain in the shadows because of the job they do.

“I’ve lived my entire career a very private life,” he said. “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.”

Asked by a reporter what he had done since the rescue, he responded accordingly, “Whatever the nation has asked.”

In addition to his combat tours, in 2016, he received a BS in strategic studies from Norwich University. At his retirement in 2019 after 21 years of service, in addition to his Medal of Honor, he had earned five Bronze Stars (Valor), two Purple Hearts, and the Meritorious Service Medal. Post retirement, he earned an MBA from the Wharton School at UPenn.

In October 2024, Ed joined other Medal of Honor recipients with a rare public presidential endorsement — for Donald Trump.

SCPO Edward Byers: Your example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty and in disregard for the peril to your own life — is eternal.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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