Senior Chief Edward C. Byers

Posted on July 13, 2019July 13, 2019 by walt313 Leave a comment
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Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr., United States Navy, distinguished himself by heroic gallantry as an Assault Team Member attached to a Joint Task Force in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM on 8 December 2012.

Dr. Dilip Joseph is an American citizen, who was abducted with his driver and Afghan interpreter on 5 December 2012. Intelligence reports indicated that Dr. Joseph might be transported to another location as early as 9 December 2012. Dr. Joseph was being held in a small, single-room building.

The target compound was located in a remote area beside a mountain in the Qarghah’i District of Laghman Province, Afghanistan. Chief Byers was part of the rescue team that planned to make entry into the room of guards where the hostage was believed to be located. Success of the rescue operation relied upon surprise, speed, and aggressive action. Trading personal security for speed of action was inherent to the success of this rescue mission. Each assaulter in the rescue force volunteered for this operation with full appreciation for the risks they were to undertake.

With the approval of the Commander of all International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan, the rescue force launched from its forward operating base. The infiltration was an exhaustive patrol across unimproved trails and mountainous terrain. After nearly four hours of patrolling, the rescue force was positioned to make its assault on the target compound.

As the patrol closed to within 25 meters of the target building, a guard became aware of the rescue force. The forward-most assaulter shot at the guard and ran towards the door to make entry as the guard disappeared inside. Chief Byers was the second assaulter in a sprint towards the door. Six layers of blankets securely fastened to the ceiling and walls served as the Afghan door. While Chief Byers tried to rip down the blankets, the first assaulter pushed his way through the doorway and was immediately shot by enemy AK-47 fire. Chief Byers, fully aware of the hostile threat inside the room, boldly entered and immediately engaged a guard pointing an AK-47 towards him. As he was engaging that guard, another adult male darted towards the corner of the room. Chief Byers could not distinguish if the person may have been the hostage scrambling away or a guard attempting to arm himself with an AK-47 that lay in the corner. Chief Byers tackled the unknown male and seized control of him. While in hand-to-hand combat, Chief Byers maintained control of the unknown male with one hand, while adjusting the focus of his night vision goggles (NVGs) with his other. Once his NVGs were focused, he recognized that the male was not the hostage and engaged the struggling armed guard.

By now other team members had entered the room and were calling to Dr. Joseph to identify himself. Chief Byers heard an unknown voice speak English from his right side. He immediately leaped across the room and selflessly flung his body on top of the American hostage, shielding him from the continued rounds being fired across the room. Almost simultaneously, Chief Byers identified an additional enemy fighter directly behind Dr. Joseph. While covering the hostage with his body, Chief Byers was able to pin the enemy combatant to the wall with his hand around the enemy’s throat. Unable to fire any effective rounds into the enemy, Chief Byers was able to restrain the combatant enough to enable his teammate to fire precision shots, eliminating the final threat within the room.

Chief Byers quickly talked to Dr. Joseph, confirming that he was able to move. He and his Team Leader stood Dr. Joseph up, calmed him, and let him know he was safe with American Forces. Once Dr. Joseph was moved to the helicopter-landing zone, Chief Byers, a certified paramedic and 18D medic, assisted with the rendering of medical aid to the urgent surgical assaulter. Chief Byers and others performed CPR during the 40-minute flight to Bagram Airfield where his teammate was declared deceased.

Chief Petty Officer Byers displayed superior gallantry, extraordinary heroism at grave personal risk, dedication to his teammates, and calm tactical leadership while liberating Dr. Dilip Joseph from captivity. He is unquestionably deserving of the Medal of Honor.

CITATION TO ACCOMPANY
THE AWARD OF
THE MEDAL OF H0ONOR
TO
SENIOR CHIEF EDWARD C. BYERS

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Hostage Rescue Force Team Member in Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM from 8 to 9 December 2012. 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. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of near certain death, Chief Petty Officer Byers reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, of Monroeville, Pa., died of combat related injuries suffered Dec. 8, 2012 while supporting operations near Kabul, Afghanistan.

Iranian Tomcats Get New Paint Job

Posted on October 17, 2013November 9, 2013 by walt313 4 Comments

F-14’s of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force could be sporting more than a new paint job. Back in 2007, The Lucky Puppy reported on the possibility that France might help Iran resurrect their Tomcat fleet. Follow this link:

Putin Says- “Pimp My MiG”

 

Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft during Iran–Iraq War and is the most successful F-14 pilot.
Iranian ace Jalil Zandi is credited with shooting down 11 Iraqi aircraft during Iran–Iraq War and is the most successful F-14 pilot.

Since the 1979 embargo of F-14 parts, Iran has kept three of the 79 aircraft in the air.  The most infamous one was involved in the Iranian Airbus  Iran Air Flight 655 shoot down by the U.S.S. Vincennes in 1988.   In 2002 Iran announced that it had 25 out of 79 operational.  In 1985, 25 Iranian F-14s flew over Tehran as part of a celebration. In the last year of the war, 1988, an F-14 shot down an Iraqi jet, one of over 80 knocked down by their F-14s since 1980. That much is known, because there were witnesses and other evidence. Using Russian sources and smuggling parts into Iran were some ways it has been speculated that the Iranian Air Force accomplished this feat, To prevent parts getting into the black market, the U.S. literally cut up the U.S.  Tomcat fleet when the aircraft was taken out of service.  Most, if not all U.S. military aircraft wind up at the storage facility in Holloman, New Mexico. Not the Tomcat. In our 2007 post, we postulated that Iran was getting their Tomcats pimped by France as did Iraq with their MiG-25’s.  Consider this video produced by Iran.  It has been cobbled together from scenes of Iranian TV series ‘Shoghe Parvaz’ (The Delight of The Flight) and flight scenes from “Topgun” of all things. [youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/fh9RkKBZYX8″]

Some Things I Spotted

  • You see six aircraft lined up on the apron.
  • Anyone can give AIM-54 shapes a new paint job and drag them around the flight line.
  • I count four moving under their own power.  Any crew chief will tell you that with enough effort,  any hangar queen or cann bird can taxi to the runway.
  • One scene shows that one Tomcat is filmed in flight from another Tomcat.  That’s two in the air at the same time.

In summer of 2010, Iran requested that the United States deliver the 80th F-14 it had purchased in 1974, but delivery was denied after the Islamic Revolution. In October 2010, an Iranian Air Force commander claimed that the country overhauls and optimizes different types of military aircraft, mentioning that Air Force has even installed Iran-made radar systems on the F-14. Best estimates is that the Iranians have three operational aircraft. No….wait.  On 26 January 2012, an Iranian F-14 crashed three minutes after takeoff. Both crew members were killed. That makes the Iranian Tomcat fleet……two.

F-14-IRIAF 2012
Snazzy new paint job on the outside but what nasty surprises for American airmen are on the inside?

You might want to read:

Iran Unveils Fifth Generation Fighter

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/sya-9XDpfiM”]