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Navy SEAL awarded Medal of Honor at White House ceremony

A Navy SEAL who helped rescue an American hostage in Afghanistan received the nation's highest military honor Monday, hailed by President Barack Obama as "a spe...

March 2, 2016 10:00 am

< a min read

President Barack Obama and Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers arrive for a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, where the president presented Byers with the Medal of Honor. U.S. Navy. Senior Chief Byers receives the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as part of a team that rescued an American civilian being held hostage in Afghanistan on December 8-9, 2012. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A Navy SEAL who helped rescue an American hostage in Afghanistan received the nation’s highest military honor Monday, hailed by President Barack Obama as “a special breed of warrior who so often serves in the shadows.”

Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers Jr. is the first living, active duty member of the Navy to receive the Medal of Honor in four decades.

Read the full Associated Press story on FederalNewsRadio.com.