Eric Slover and 100-year-old Royce Williams win Medal of Honor during State of the Union
President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor during his State of the Union address Tuesday night to 100-year-old E. Royce Williams and to Chief Warrant Officer eric slover, recognizing a decades-old Korean War dogfight and actions in a 2026 raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The presentation marked the first time a president has given the nation’s highest combat decoration during a State of the Union.
A century of service for E. Royce Williams
E. Royce Williams, who is 100 years old, was seated next to First Lady Melania Trump in the Capitol as the president described his wartime record and announced the award. Williams flew more than 220 missions in World War II and in the wars in Korea and Vietnam and was a retired Navy captain when Mr. Trump placed the Medal of Honor around his neck.
The president recounted Williams’ actions in 1952, when Williams took part in what has been described as the longest aerial engagement in U. S. Navy history: a roughly half-hour dogfight off the coast of the Korean Peninsula in which Williams engaged seven Soviet MiG fighter jets and shot down four. The Soviet aircraft were identified as MiG-15s in one account. Williams’ aircraft was struck and he guided the damaged plane back to an American aircraft carrier at high speed, saying he had considered ejecting but judged frigid conditions over the water too perilous to do so.
Dogfight kept secret, later declassified
The clash was classified for decades because Soviet involvement was top secret during the Korean War. Williams has said he was instructed to keep the engagement secret and did not speak of it for years, including to his wife, until archival records and military histories were made public after the collapse of the Soviet Union and related documents were declassified in 2002.
In a 2022 interview with Task & Purpose, Williams said, "In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job. I was only shooting what I had. " Military accounts in recent years have called the encounter one of the most intense aerial engagements of the war. Williams received the Navy Cross three years ago.
Issa’s push and lawmakers’ waiver
Republican Rep. Darell Issa of California, whose San Diego-area district includes Williams’ home, pressed for the retired Navy pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Williams was also identified as the guest of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) at the address; the context includes both spellings of Issa’s name. 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. "
Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration, waiving the longstanding requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the act of valor.
Eric Slover honored after 2026 raid
The president also announced the Medal of Honor would be awarded to Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover for his role as an Army helicopter pilot in the 2026 raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Mr. Trump described the moments when Slover’s aircraft came under heavy fire: "While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle, and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip. One bullet after another, he observed four agonizing shots shredding his leg into numerous pieces. "
Trump said that despite severe wounds and blood in the helicopter, Slover "maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat, turn the helicopter around so the gunners could take care of business, saving the lives of his fellow warriors from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory. " The president added that Slover was still recovering and that he was present in the gallery with his wife, Amy; Slover entered the chamber with the aid of a walker.
During the address Mr. Trump invited Slover and his wife to the gallery and said, "In recognition of Eric’s actions above and beyond the call of duty, " he would ask Gen. Jonathan Braga to present Chief Warrant Officer Slover with the nation’s highest militar— the presentation text is incomplete in the provided context.
Protest and ejection: Rep. Al Green
Separately in the Capitol, Rep. Al Green was ejected earlier from the House chamber for holding a sign that read "Black people aren't apes. " He remained holding the sign when he spoke to reporters in the Capitol and told them President Trump "got the message" on the sign. That interaction was dated Feb. 25, 2026 in the provided context.
CBS News updated its account of the medal presentation on Feb. 24, 2026, at 11: 30 p. m. EST, and a separate account described both veterans as being honored during the State of the Union on Tuesday night.
Trump called Williams earlier this month, and the timing of the presentations — one tied to a decades-old Korean War engagement and the other to the 2026 raid that captured Nicolás Maduro — drew attention because the State of the Union was the setting for both awards.
