H1106 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE March 2, 2016 minute and to revise and extend his re- [From The Plain Dealer, Feb. 26, 2016] So, he said he was fine, and once we got marks.) TOLEDO NATIVE EDWARD BYERS WILL BE outside, I noticed that our medics were Mr. WITTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise AWARDED working on Nick, and you know, being a today to honor the life and service of (By Brian Albrecht) medic myself I passed off the American hos- tage off to our other teammates and I went Officer Ashley Guindon. CLEVELAND, OHIO.—The rescue of an Amer- over to work on Nick, and did resuscitative Officer Guindon was killed in the line ican hostage in in 2012 will re- efforts on him all the way to the hospital, of duty Saturday while responding to a sult in Toledo native and Navy SEAL Ed- where he was announced dead there.’’ call for help from a domestic violence ward C. Byers Jr. being awarded the Medal of The official citation noted: ‘‘Chief Petty victim. Honor by President in a cere- Officer Byers displayed superior gallantry, mony at the White House on February 29. extraordinary heroism at grave personal She was 28 years old, and during her The Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator short life, Officer Guindon had done risk, dedication to his teammates, and calm is only the 11th living service member to be tactical leadership while liberating Dr. Dilip more for others than most of us will awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery dis- Joseph from captivity.’’ ever do. She spent 6 years in the Ma- played in Afghanistan. Byers said that when he found out he was rine Corps Reserves before interning According to Navy information, Byers was being awarded the Medal of Honor, ‘‘I felt and ultimately working with the born in Toledo in 1979 and grew up in Grand very honored and very humbled because I’m Prince William County Police Depart- Rapids, Ohio. After graduating from Otsego gonna be a representative for the Navy and High School, where he played varsity soccer, the naval special warfare community, and ment. he joined the Navy in 1998. At funeral services Tuesday, Officer there’s a weight that’s carried with that. Byers attended school ‘‘And that weight is the sacrifices that ev- Guindon was remembered as a police- and also completed a basic underwater demo- erybody has made within this community. woman and as a peace officer. lition/SEAL course and special operations Guys like Nick Cheque and all of our other In Prince William County, the Police combat medic course in 2003. brothers that have fallen, is it’s an affirma- Department’s stated mission is to ‘‘en- He went on 11 overseas deployments, in- tion of the job that we do, and an apprecia- hance the quality of life by providing cluding nine combat tours. tion of the job we do.’’ police services through shared respon- The Medal of Honor is awarded to members In the interview, Byers also credited the of the armed forces who distinguish them- sibility with the public.’’ support of his family, and noted that when selves conspicuously by gallantry and intre- he told his mother about the award cere- As members of the public, it is in- pidity at the risk of their own lives above mony, ‘‘the first question out of her mouth is cumbent upon us to respect the work and beyond the call of duty. ‘Do you think I can come to it?’ And I said that police officers do, the sacrifices The mission that lead to his Medal of of course, mom, I think you’ll be able to that they make, and the lives that Honor award involved the rescue of Dr. Dilip come to it.’’ they touch across the Commonwealth Joseph, an American who was abducted with He also noted that his daughter ‘‘knows and the United States of America. his driver and Afghan interpreter in Decem- that I’m daddy, and she loves me just for ber of 2012. that. If you talk to her one-on-one, she’ll tell God rest you and keep your family, U.S. intelligence located Joseph in a re- Officer Guindon. Thank you for your you all the five nicknames she has for me, mote mountainous area in a small, single- and none of them includes ‘hero.’ ’’ service. room building, and Byers was part of the He concluded, ‘‘I’m gonna continue to be a team assigned to the recovery mission. f SEAL. And I’m gonna take whatever job or In a subsequent Navy Interview, Byers de- mission is next for me, and just continue CONGRATULATING NAVY SEAL tailed his role in that mission: doing that. I don’t have any plans on chang- ‘‘So that night was December 8 in Eastern EDWARD BYERS ing my job at this time. I still love what I Afghanistan, it was a cool night, we got off do, and as long as I love what I do I’ll con- (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given the helicopters, did a four- or five-hour pret- tinue doing it.’’ permission to address the House for 1 ty arduous hike through the mountains, and Byers’ personal decorations include the minute and to revise and extend her re- upon getting to our target building where we Bronze Star with Valor (five awards), the marks.) assumed the American hostage was at, our (two awards), the Joint Service point man Nick Cheque, he was right in front Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I want to Commendation Medal with Valor, the Navy of me, he saw a guard come out of the door, Commendation Medal (three awards, one add the congratulations and com- he engaged that guard and we started sprint- with Valor), the Combat Action ribbon (two mendations from the people of Ohio’s ing towards the door. awards), and the Good Conduct Medal (five Ninth District to Navy SEAL Edward ‘‘Nick made his way in, and I made my way awards). Byers for his incredible valor, and I in right behind him, and I went down by the He is one of only eight living Navy Medal thank the President of the United wall, and I engaged an enemy by the back- of Honor recipients. There are 78 living re- States for awarding him this week the side of the wall. And then I saw another per- cipients total. Medal of Honor. son moving across the floor, so by the time Ohio has had 319 other Medal of Honor re- I got to him he was on his back and I was cipients with a connection to this state, dat- Born in Toledo, Ohio, and raised in able to get down on top of him and straddle ing back to the Civil War. Grand Rapids, Ohio, SEAL Team Mem- him with my knees, and I had to adjust my SUMMARY OF ACTION ber Byers is a credit, not only to his night vision to try to get some facial rec- SENIOR CHIEF SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR ognition. service, but to the patriotic people who (SEAL) EDWARD C. BYERS JR.: FOR ACTIONS ‘‘At the same time this is happening I’m raised him, and for his enlistment in DURING OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM ON calling out trying to find the location of the the U.S. military. DEC. 8, 2012 The bravery that he exhibited and American hostage. And finally he spoke up and it was at that time I engaged the person Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Ed- the training and readiness that he ex- I was on top of and jumped off, and jumped ward C. Byers Jr., , dis- emplified through his valorous service off of the guy I was on and jumped onto the tinguished himself by heroic gallantry as an in Afghanistan will go down in the an- doctor who was about three or four, maybe Assault Team Member attached to a Joint nals of American history. five feet to my right. Task Force in support of Operation ENDUR- He is only one of a handful of SEALs ‘‘The reason I did that is because I was ING FREEDOM on 8 December 2012. who have been awarded the Medal of wearing body armor, so I wanted to protect SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENT Honor. He handled the ceremony with him from any other potential threats in the Dr. Dilip Joseph is an American citizen, great dignity, and we send our love and room. who was abducted with his driver and Afghan ‘‘Anyone who’s been in combat knows that interpreter on 5 December 2012. Intelligence congratulations to his wife, to his fam- in those moments you either react, or you reports indicated that Dr. Joseph might be ily, and to all those who have the get killed. transported to another location as early as 9 pleasure of knowing this really great ‘‘When I did that there was a guy that was December 2012. Dr. Joseph was being held in American. right behind him within arm’s reach, who a small, single-room building. Congratulations, SEAL Team Mem- was armed, and I was able to pin that guy to The target compound was located in a re- ber Edward Byers. You distinguished the wall by his throat, kind-of holding the mote area beside a mountain in the yourself on behalf of the people of your doctor, and waiting for my teammates to Qarghah’i District of Laghman Province, Af- country and for freedom-loving people come in and take care of the threat that was ghanistan. Chief Byers was part of the rescue right next to us. When I was done, I still laid team that planned to make entry into the around our world. on top of him, and kept asking him ‘hey can room of guards where the hostage was be- Mr. Speaker, I will include in the you walk,’ you know, and ‘is there anything lieved to be located. Success of the rescue CONGRESSIONAL RECORD two articles medically wrong with you,’ because our goal operation relied upon surprise, speed, and ag- about this Toledo native. is to bring this guy back alive. gressive action. Trading personal security

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for speed of action was inherent to the suc- For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR FACTS cess of this rescue mission. Each assaulter in at the risk of his life above and beyond the Senior Chief Byers is the 6th Navy SEAL the rescue force volunteered for this oper- call of duty as a Hostage Rescue Force Team in history to receive the Medal of Honor. ation with full appreciation for the risks Member in Afghanistan in support of Oper- Senior Chief Byers is one of only eight liv- they were to undertake. ation ENDURING FREEDOM from 8 to 9 De- ing Navy Medal of Honor recipients. There With the approval of the Commander of all cember 2012. As the rescue force approached are 78 living recipients total. International Security Assistance Forces in the target building, an enemy sentry de- There have been 745 Medals of Honor Afghanistan, the rescue force launched from tected them and darted inside to alert his awarded to Navy personnel. (308 of those its forward operating base. The infiltration fellow captors. The sentry quickly re- were for actions during the Civil War) was an exhaustive patrol across unimproved emerged, and the lead assaulter attempted to trails and mountainous terrain. After nearly Only two Navy service members have re- neutralize him. Chief Byers with his team ceived the Medal of Honor for actions subse- four hours of patrolling, the rescue force was sprinted to the door of the target building. positioned to make its assault on the target quent to the Vietnam War, and both of those As the primary breacher, Chief Byers stood awards were posthumous. (Lieutenant Mi- compound. in the doorway fully exposed to enemy fire As the patrol closed to within 25 meters of chael Murphy and Petty Officer Michael while ripping down six layers of heavy blan- the target building, a guard became aware of Monsoor, both SEALs) kets fastened to the inside ceiling and walls the rescue force. The forward-most assaulter The most recent Navy recipient of the shot at the guard and ran towards the door to clear a path for the rescue force. The first Medal of Honor was Petty Officer 2nd Class to make entry as the guard disappeared in- assaulter pushed his way through the blan- Michael Monsoor, who was posthumously side. Chief Byers was the second assaulter in kets, and was mortally wounded by enemy awarded the Medal of Honor by President a sprint towards the door. Six layers of blan- small arms fire from within. Chief Byers, George W. Bush on Apr. 8, 2008. kets securely fastened to the ceiling and completely aware of the imminent threat, The most recent living Navy recipient of walls served as the Afghan door. While Chief fearlessly rushed into the room and engaged the Medal of Honor was Robert Ingram, who Byers tried to rip down the blankets, the an enemy guard aiming an AK–47 at him. He left the Navy in 1968, and was later awarded first assaulter pushed his way through the then tackled another adult male who had the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton doorway and was immediately shot by darted towards the corner of the room. Dur- on Jul. 10, 1998 for actions during the Viet- enemy AK–47 fire. Chief Byers, fully aware of ing the ensuing hand-to-hand struggle, Chief nam War. the hostile threat inside the room, boldly en- Byers confirmed the man was not the hos- Senior Chief Byers is the first living active tered and immediately engaged a guard tage and engaged him. As other rescue team duty member of the U.S. Navy to receive the pointing an AK–47 towards him. As he was members called out to the hostage, Chief Medal of Honor since Apr. 6, 1976, the late engaging that guard, another adult male Byers heard a voice respond in English and Rear Admiral James Stockdale and Lieuten- darted towards the corner of the room. Chief raced toward it. He jumped atop the Amer- ant Thomas Norris (also a SEAL) each re- Byers could not distinguish if the person ican hostage and shielded him from the high ceived the decoration from President Gerald may have been the hostage scrambling away volume of fire within the small room. While Ford. or a guard attempting to arm himself with covering the hostage with his body, Chief Senior Chief Byers is the first living active an AK–47 that lay in the corner. Chief Byers Byers immobilized another guard with his duty enlisted member of the U.S. Navy to re- tackled the unknown male and seized control bare hands, and restrained the guard until a ceive the Medal of Honor since Petty Officer of him. While in hand-to-hand combat, Chief teammate could eliminate him. His bold and Michael Thornton (also a SEAL) was award- Byers maintained control of the unknown decisive actions under fire saved the lives of ed the Medal of Honor by President Richard male with one hand, while adjusting the the hostage and several of his teammates. By Nixon on Oct., 15 1973. focus of his night vision goggles (NVGs) with his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting This is the 14th Medal of Honor awarded his other. Once his NVGs were focused, he spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in for actions in Afghanistan. Including Senior recognized that the male was not the hos- the face of near certain death, Chief Petty Chief Byers, 11 of those 14 awards were to liv- tage and engaged the struggling armed Officer Byers reflected great credit upon ing recipients. Four Medals of Honor were guard. himself and upheld the highest traditions of awarded posthumously for actions in Iraq. By now other team members had entered the United States Naval Service. the room and were calling to Dr. Joseph to f identify himself. Chief Byers heard an un- BIOGRAPHY known voice speak English from his right SENIOR CHIEF SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR CLOSING GUANTANAMO BAY (SEAL) EDWARD C. BYERS JR. side. He immediately leaped across the room (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was and selflessly flung his body on top of the Senior Chief Edward C. Byers Jr. was born American hostage, shielding him from the in Toledo, Ohio in 1979. He grew up in Grand given permission to address the House continued rounds being fired across the Rapids, Ohio. In 1997, he graduated from Ot- for 1 minute and to revise and extend room. Almost simultaneously, Chief Byers sego High School where he played varsity his remarks.) identified an additional enemy fighter di- soccer. Byers joined the Navy in September Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the rectly behind Dr. Joseph. While covering the 1998, and subsequently attended Recruit cold-blooded, calculating terrorists sit- hostage with his body, Chief Byers was able Training and Corpsman ‘‘A’’ School in Great ting in Guantanamo murdered and plan to pin the enemy combatant to the wall with Lakes, Illinois. to continue killing Americans. his hand around the enemy’s throat. Unable Byers started his naval career as a Hos- to fire any effective rounds into the enemy, pital Corpsman. In 1998, he was assigned to Since President Obama took office, Chief Byers was able to restrain the combat- Great Lakes Naval Hospital. In 1999, he he has released 150 terrorists back to ant enough to enable his teammate to fire served with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines in their home countries. In fact, Spanish precision shots, eliminating the final threat Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he de- and Moroccan police just arrested four within the room. ployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary suspected members of a jihadi cell who Chief Byers quickly talked to Dr. Joseph, Unit aboard USS AUSTIN (LPD 4). During recruited fighters for the Islamic confirming that he was able to move. He and deployment he earned his Enlisted Surface his Team Leader stood Dr. Joseph up, calmed State. One is described as a former Warfare Specialist (ESWS) badge and Fleet Gitmo detainee who formerly fought him, and let him know he was safe with Marine Force (FMF) warfare device. American Forces. Once Dr. Joseph was In 2002, Byers attended Basic Underwater with militants against Americans in moved to the helicopter-landing zone, Chief Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training and grad- Afghanistan. Byers, a certified paramedic and 18D medic, uated with Class 242. After graduation, he at- The 91 high-security prisoners re- assisted with the rendering of medical aid to tended the Special Operations Combat Medic maining at Guantanamo committed the urgent surgical assaulter. Chief Byers (SOCM) course. SOCS Byers has been as- some of the most repulsive crimes and others performed CPR during the 40- signed to East Coast SEAL Teams. He was minute flight to Bagram Airfield where his known to all of us. promoted to the rank of Senior Chief Petty Severely lacking in detail, the plan teammate was declared deceased. Officer in January of 2016. Chief Petty Officer Byers displayed supe- Byers has deployed overseas 11 times with to close Gitmo fails to describe where, rior gallantry, extraordinary heroism at nine combat tours. His personal decorations under what authority, and at what cost grave personal risk, dedication to his team- include the Bronze Star with Valor (five the relocation of these terrorists will mates, and calm tactical leadership while awards), the Purple Heart (two awards), the be. liberating Dr. Dilip Joseph from captivity. Joint Service Commendation Medal with He is unquestionably deserving of the Medal Mr. Speaker, it is against the law to Valor, the Navy Commendation Medal (three of Honor. transfer terrorist detainees to Amer- awards, one with Valor), the Combat Action OFFICIAL CITATION ican soil without congressional ap- ribbon (two awards), and the Good Conduct proval. CHIEF SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR (SEA, AIR, Medal (five awards). AND LAND) EDWARD C. BYERS, JR. UNITED Byers holds a National Paramedics Li- The United States should do every- STATES NAVY cense, and has studied Strategic Studies and thing it can to keep terrorists out of For service as set forth in the following ci- Defense Analysis at Norwich University. our country, not purposely bring them tation: Byers is married and has a daughter. here.

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