President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor on Monday to a Navy SEAL who was part of a 2012 raid to rescue an American hostage in Afghanistan. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers, Jr., 36, is the first living, active-duty member of the Navy to receive the award in 40 years, NBC News reported. In receiving the award, Byers stepped out of the secrecy that shrouds his highly elite military unit. He won the prize for his actions during the hostage rescue, in which he reportedly threw himself on top of the American doctor being held captive, shielding him from gunfire while taking out his captors.