WOOD COUNTY, Ohio — State Rep. Haraz N. Ghanbari of Perrysburg is scheduled to dedicate the Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers, Jr. Medal of Honor Recipient Highway during a ceremony on Sept. 24.
“Master Chief Byers grew up along State Route 65 right here in Wood County,” said Ghanbari. “He served our country with honor and distinction as a United States Navy SEAL and earned our military’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. This dedication is a fitting tribute to Byers, who is an example of the best Ohio, and our country, has to offer.”
Master Chief Byers, an Otsego graduate, is the sixth Navy SEAL and the first living Navy SEAL since the Vietnam war to receive the Medal of Honor.
A chief petty officer at the time of the mission that earned him the medal on Dec. 8, 2012, Byers was serving as a Hostage Rescue Force Team Member in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His SEAL teammate, Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, was killed in action during the rescue mission and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
Last year, Ghanbari introduced House Bill 276 to designate a portion of State Route 65 in Wood County as the “Master Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers, Jr. Medal of Honor Recipient Highway.”
The legislation received unanimous support from both the House (96-0), and the Senate (33-0), and was signed into law by Governor DeWine on March 4.
The dedication is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Otsego Park in Bowling Green.
