Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.

  • MY NEXT GUEST RECEIVED A MEDAL OF HONOR FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA

  • MONDAY.

  • PLEASE WELCOME NAVY SENIOR CHIEF AND NAVY SEAL EDWARD BYERS.

  • (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) ♪

  • THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

  • IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU.

  • >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

  • >> Stephen: YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY TITLED SENIOR CHIEF

  • SPECIAL WARFARE OPERATOR.

  • THAT IS A REALLY ALL-ENCOMPASSING TITLE, A

  • WARFARE OPERATOR.

  • WHAT DO YOU OPERATE?

  • I OPERATE WARFARE.

  • WHAT DOES THAT TRAINING INCLUDE?

  • WHAT ARE ALL THE THINGS YOU'RE TRAINED TO DO?

  • >> WELL, IF WE WERE TO SIT HERE AND TALK ABOUT IT, I THINK YOU

  • WOULD RUN OUT OF TIME.

  • >> Stephen: OH, REALLY?

  • THE FIRST IS BASIC UNDERWATER SEAL TRAINING, THEN SEAL

  • QUALIFICATION TRAINING AFTER THAT FOR SIX MONTHS JUST TO GET

  • YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR.

  • >> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WOULD BE RECEIVING THE

  • MEDAL OF HONOR?

  • >> I FOUND OUT IN DECEMBER.

  • >> Stephen: HOW DO YOU FIND OUT?

  • >> IT'S A REALLY INTRIGUING PROCESS.

  • THE WHITE HOUSE CALLS YOU, SOMEBODY ON HIS STAFF, AND THEY

  • SAY, HEY, THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO TALK TO YOU NEXT WEEK AT THIS

  • DATE AND TIME.

  • ARE YOU AVAILABLE?

  • AND MY FIRST REACTION WAS DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY SAY NO TO THIS?

  • LET ME CHECK MY SCHEDULE.

  • >> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE PHONE CALL IS

  • ABOUT?

  • >> I DID.

  • I WAS AWARE HE WAS GOING TO GIVE A CALL BUT IT'S NOT TILL THE

  • PRESIDENT CALLS YOU THAT IT BECOMES OFFICIAL.

  • >> Stephen: THERE ARE SOME ASPECTS OF THE ENGAGEMENT FOR

  • WHICH YOU WERE AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR ARE CLASSIFIED AND YOU

  • CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT.

  • WALK US THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY AND TRY NOT TO BREACH

  • NATIONAL SECURITY WHEN YOU DO SO.

  • >> I'LL DO MY BEST.

  • >> Stephen: OKAY.

  • DECEMBER 2012, WE RECEIVED OUR MISSION, A NO-FAIL MISSION,

  • AND OUR GOAL WAS TO BRING BACK AN AMERICAN HOSTAGE.

  • >> Stephen: AFGHANISTAN?

  • EASTERN AFGHANISTAN.

  • SO WE INSERTED BY HELECOPTERRER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

  • HAD A FOUR OR FIVE HOUR WALK THROUGH MOUNTAINS AND GOT TO THE

  • TARGET BUILDING AND ASSESSED.

  • >> Stephen: HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT'S YOUR TARGET BUILDING?

  • I ASSUME A LOT LOOK ALIKE.

  • >> THEY DO, BUT OUR NATION'S MILITARY HAS CLEVER WAYS OF

  • FIGURING THAT OUT.

  • >> Stephen: OKAY.

  • I'LL ACCEPT THAT.

  • MOVE ON.

  • >> SO AS WE APPROACH THE BUILDING, OUR POINT MAN UND

  • TEAMMATE NICK WAS UP FRONT.

  • A GUARD CAME OUT OF ONE OF THE DOORS.

  • HE IMMEDIATELY ENGAGED THE GUARD AND WE STARTED SPRINTING TOWARD

  • THE DOOR.

  • IT'S NOT YOUR TYPICAL DOOR.

  • IT WAS A LAYER OF BLANKETS.

  • AS NICK STARTED TO MOVE IN THROUGH THE BLANKETS, I MOVED IN

  • BEHIND HIM.

  • AS I WENT TO MY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY, AN ENEMY ON THE

  • BACK WALL HAD HIS AK READY TO SHOOT AND EENGAGED HIM AND SAW

  • ANOTHER PERSON MOVING ACROSS THE FLOOR.

  • AT THAT TIME YOU DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS THE AMERICAN HOSTAGE

  • JUST SCARED, TRYING TO MOVE -- >> Stephen: WHAT TIME OF DAY

  • IS THIS?

  • >> MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

  • >> Stephen: IS IT DARK, A LIGHT ON INSIDE?

  • >> IT WAS BITCH BLACK.

  • THE AVERAGE AFGHAN HOUSE HAS ONE LIGHT BULB.

  • I DON'T THINK THIS ONE HAD ANY LIGHT BULBS.

  • WE HAVE NIGHT VISION, SO THAT GIVES US THE ADVANTAGE TO SEE.

  • I SAW A PERSON MOVE ACROSS THE FLOOR.

  • HE WAS MOVING TOWARD WEAPONS.

  • I GOT TO HIM AND STRADDLED HIM AND PINNED HIM DOWN WITH MY

  • LEGS.

  • >> Stephen: AT THIS POINT, DO YOU KNOW IF THIS IS THE HOSTAGE

  • OR SOMEONE HOSTILE.

  • >> I DIDN'T KNOW.

  • I WAS TRYING TO CONTROL HIM AND ADJUSTING MY NIGHT VISION SO I

  • COULD GET FACIAL RECOGNITION.

  • SIMULTANEOUSLY, WE'RE CALLING OUT, AMERICAN HOSTAGE, TRYING TO

  • GET SOMEBODY TO RESPONDTHA BACK.

  • HE FINALLY DID RESPOND BACK, ABOUT FIVE FEET AWAY TO ME TO MY

  • RIGHT.

  • I ENGAGED THE PERSON I WAS ON TOP OF AND JUMPED OFF HIM AND ON

  • TO THE AMERICAN HOSTAGE.

  • YOU WANT TO DO THAT BECAUSE OUR GOAL IS TO BRING THIS GUY BACK

  • ALIVE AND WE'RE WEARING BODY ARMOR SO WE ACCEPT THAT RISK AND

  • WANT TO PROTECT HIM.

  • WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THERE WAS ANOTHER ENEMY THAT WAS TO MY

  • LEFT WITHIN ARM'S REACH, FORTUNATELY, AND I WAS ABLE TO

  • PIN HIM AGAINST THE WALL BY HIS THROAT TILL MY TEAMMATES WERE

  • ABLE TO COME IN AND TAKE CARE OF THAT.

  • >> Stephen: SO YOU HAVE YOUR BODY ON TOP OF THE HOSTAGE TO

  • PROTECT HIM WHILE PINNING SOMEBODY AGAINST THE WALL WITH

  • YOUR HAND, AFTER ENGAGING THE ENEMY PREVIOUSLY TO THAT?

  • >> THAT'S CORRECT (APPLAUSE)

  • >> Stephen: NOW, CAN YOU TELL US -- WITHOUT GIVING A SPECIFIC

  • AMOUNT OF TIME -- IS THIS SEEMING LIKE IT'S HAPPENING FAST

  • TO YOU?

  • OR IS IT ALL HAPPENING IN SLOW MOTION FOR YOU?

  • >> THAT IS A UNIQUE THING ABOUT OUR TRAINING IS WE REHEARSE SO

  • MUCH THAT IT IS VERY INSTINCT CHIEWL.

  • SO WHILE THE WHOLE SCENARIO HAPPENED WITHIN A MINUTE, MINUTE

  • AND A HALF, IN YOUR MIND IT'S VERY SEGMENTED.

  • YOU TAKE ONE SITUATION, HANDLE IT AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT.

  • SO IT SLOWS DOWN.

  • IT'S KIND OF LIKE TIME SLOWS DOWN.

  • >> Stephen: NOW I KNOW THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T

  • TALK ABOUT THE RAID TO GET THE HOSTAGE, BUT ONE THING I KNOW

  • YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR

  • FELLOW NAVY SEAL, AND THIS IS NICK CHECK, RIGHT?

  • >> YES, AND NICK CHECK WAS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO, AND HE'S THE

  • HERO OF THAT OPERATION.

  • HE GAVE HIS LIFE TO BRING BACK ANOTHER AMERICAN AND, FRANKLY,

  • THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

  • (APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: HE DID NOT SURVIVE

  • THE ENGAGEMENT?

  • >> HE DID NOT.

  • >> Stephen: AND HERE YOU ARE RECEIVING THE MEDAL OF HONOR

  • FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA ON MONDAY, AND FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

  • YOU KNOW,, PEOPLE WILL BE CALLING YOU A HERO.

  • HOW DO YOU FEEL?

  • I KNOW SOME PEOPLE IN THE MILITARY DON'T LIKE THAT TITLE.

  • HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?

  • >> THAT'S NOT A TITLE I WOULD GIVE MYSELF.

  • I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING OTHER PEOPLE BESTOW UPON YOU, AND THE

  • PEOPLE I REALLY CONSIDER HEROS ARE THE BROTHERS I WORK WITH.

  • THESE MEN ARE, YOU KNOW, THE TOUGHEST MEN ON THE FACE OF THE

  • PLANET.

  • THEIR MENTALITY OF NEVER QUIT, NEVER FAIL AT ANYTHING THEY DO

  • IS TRULY REMARKABLE AND, YOU KNOW, IF IT WASN'T FOR THEM, I

  • WOULDN'T BE SITTING HERE TODAY.

  • THEY SAVED MY LIFE COUNTLESS TIMES.

  • >> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE YOU WANT TO GIVE

  • A SHOUT OUT TO BEFORE WE GO.

  • >> THERE IS.

  • SO MY NEIGHBORS BOB AND GIGI, THEY LOVE YOUR SHOW, AND THEY'VE

  • RECORDED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR SHOWS, SO I HAVE TO SAY

  • CONGRATULATIONS.

  • I HEARD YOU JUST HAD YOUR 100th EPISODE HERE.

  • >> Stephen: WE DID.

  • HEY, BOB AND GIGI!

  • (APPLAUSE) WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR

  • BEING HERE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY.

  • IF YOU GO BACK OUT, PLEASE STAY SAFE AND WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE

  • YOU.

  • MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT EDWARD BYERS, EVERYBODY!

  • (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK!

>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it