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2016 SESSION

16105131D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 134
Offered February 12, 2016
Commending Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers.
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Patrons-- Taylor, Adams, Albo, Anderson, Austin, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Bloxom, Bulova, Carr, Cline, Cole, Collins, Cox, Davis, Edmunds, Farrell, Filler-Corn, Freitas, Gilbert, Greason, Habeeb, Head, Hester, Hope, Hugo, Ingram, James, Jones, Keam, Kilgore, Knight, Krizek, Landes, LeMunyon, Lindsey, Lingamfelter, Lopez, Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., Mason, Massie, McClellan, McQuinn, Miller, Minchew, Miyares, O'Bannon, O'Quinn, Peace, Pillion, Plum, Pogge, Poindexter, Price, Rasoul, Robinson, Rush, Sickles, Spruill, Stolle, Sullivan, Torian, Toscano, Tyler, Villanueva, Ward, Ware, Watts, Webert, Wilt and Yancey
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WHEREAS, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers, a member of the elite United States Navy SEALs, became the third member of the United Sates Navy since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during a rescue operation in Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, a native of Toledo, Ohio, Senior Chief Byers joined the United States Navy in 1998 and completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 2002; he has deployed overseas eight times, including seven tours in combat; and

WHEREAS, in December 2012, Senior Chief Byers participated in a night raid to rescue Dr. Dilip Joseph, an American doctor who had been abducted by the Taliban; Senior Chief Byers and the rescue team traversed mountainous terrain for four hours to reach the doctor’s location, a small, one-room building in the remote Laghman Province of Afghanistan; and

WHEREAS, Senior Chief Byers was the second team member into the building and, upon hearing a man speaking in English, located and selflessly shielded the hostage from the ensuing firefight; he also identified an enemy combatant nearby and pinned him to the wall with one hand while still covering the hostage; and

WHEREAS, with the hostage secure, Senior Chief Byers, who is trained as a paramedic, helped provide medical assistance to a fellow SEAL who was fatally wounded during the operation; and

WHEREAS, Senior Chief Byers will be presented with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award, at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., on February 29, 2016; he has previously earned five Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts and will be the 11th living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for action in Afghanistan; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers hereby be commended on receiving the Medal of Honor for his valorous actions in service to the nation; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his exceptional service and sacrifices in defense of the Commonwealth and the United States.