>> 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!
Senior, you are a badass.
Obviously this guy is a hero but I don't really understand why he's on Colbert. It seemed sort of awkward. I don't think Colbert viewers are big into this kind of interview.