Eric Slover and E. Royce Williams Receive Medals of Honor During State of the Union

President Trump presented the Medal of Honor on Tuesday night to Chief Warrant Officer 5 eric slover, a U. S. Army helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and to 100-year-old Navy veteran E. Royce Williams, marking the first time the decoration was awarded during a State of the Union address.

Eric Slover honored for the Maduro raid

President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover for his role in the audacious operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. The president credited Slover with helping plan Operation Absolute Resolve and serving as the flight lead aboard the first CH-47 Chinook helicopter to approach Maduro’s heavily fortified Caracas compound under cover of night.

Standing ovation, chants and a detailed presidential account

As Slover and his wife entered the chamber, they received a standing ovation and chants of “USA, USA, USA. ” Mr. Trump described the mission as “very dangerous” because the enemy “knew we were coming, ” and said the military installation was protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese technology, adding, “How did that work out? Not too good. ”

Wounds, rescue and what the president said

Mr. Trump said Slover was repeatedly struck in the leg and hip by hostile fire as he prepared to land. “One bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces, ” the president said, and credited Slover with bringing the aircraft and his team back to safety despite the wounds. “Maduro was the only thing Eric was thinking about, ” the president declared, and said that even as Slover was “gushing blood which was flowing back down the aisle, ” the helicopter landed at a steep angle. The president noted that Slover continues to recover from his injuries.

Williams’ Medal of Honor, the 1952 dogfight and decades of secrecy

Also honored during the address was retired Navy Captain E. Royce Williams, age 100. Mr. Trump said, “Tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He was a legend long before this evening, ” and first lady Melania Trump placed the medal around Williams’ neck.

Williams was part of what the military later described as the longest aerial engagement in U. S. Navy history: in 1952, off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, he and another American pilot encountered seven Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets. Williams struck one MiG and then, flying alone, downed three more, shooting down four in all during a roughly half-hour dogfight while facing what military accounts later described as hundreds of rounds of incoming fire. Soviet involvement in the clash was top secret at the time and the records were classified for decades.

From secrecy to recognition

Williams has said he was instructed to keep the clash secret and that for decades he spoke of it to no one, not even his wife. Details surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when archival records and military histories were made public. Williams told Task & Purpose in a 2022 interview, “In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job. I was only shooting what I had. ” Three years ago he received the Navy Cross, the highest combat award for Navy and Marine Corps service members.

Congressional push, waivers and timeline

Republican Rep. Darell Issa of California, whose San Diego-area district includes Williams’ home, pressed for the retired pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration by waiving the longstanding requirement that it be awarded within five years of the act of valor. Issa wrote earlier this month, “The heroism and valor he demonstrated for more than 35 harrowing minutes almost 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew. ” Mr. Trump also called Williams earlier this month. CBS News first disclosed the plan earlier Tuesday. The story was updated on February 24, 2026, at 11: 30 p. m. EST.

It is unclear in the provided context what the next public steps are for Slover’s medical recovery or for any follow-up ceremonies related to Williams’ recognition. Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.