Eric Slover: Trump awards Medal of Honor to 100-year-old veteran during State of the Union; Rep. Al Green ejected over sign
President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old E. Royce Williams during the State of the Union, an unprecedented decoration presentation during that address, while Rep. Al Green was ejected from the House chamber after holding a protest sign; eric slover’s connection is unclear in the provided context. The timing brought new attention to a long-hidden Korean War engagement and a high-profile Capitol protest the next day.
Medal presentation in the chamber and immediate gestures
Updated on February 24, 2026 at 11: 30 PM ET: Mr. Trump called Williams earlier this month, then, during the State of the Union, praised him: "Tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He was a legend long before this evening. " Williams stood as first lady Melania Trump placed the medal around his neck. The plan to honor him was first reported earlier Tuesday.
How Williams’s 1952 dogfight is described
Williams, a retired Navy captain, was part of what is described as the longest aerial engagement in U. S. Navy history when he fought seven Soviet MiG fighter jets and shot down four during a half-hour dogfight in 1952. At the height of the Korean War, Williams and another American pilot were flying off the coast of the Korean Peninsula when they encountered seven Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets. Williams recalled that when the Soviet aircraft opened fire, "Since they started the fight, I shot back. " He struck one MiG while his fellow American pilot pursued it; then, flying alone, Williams engaged the remaining aircraft and downed three more while maneuvering through what later military accounts described as hundreds of rounds of incoming fire.
Damage, decision not to eject and decades of secrecy
After his aircraft was struck, Williams guided the damaged plane in for a high-speed landing aboard an American aircraft carrier. He said he had considered ejecting but concluded the frigid conditions over the water made that perilous. Soviet involvement in the clash was top secret at the time, so records of the event were classified for decades; Williams has said he was instructed to keep the airborne clash a secret and for decades spoke of it to no one, not even his wife. Details surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union as archival records and military histories were made public.
Later recognition, legislative action and a Navy Cross
Three years ago, Williams was awarded the Navy Cross, identified in the context as the highest combat award that can be given to a service member of either the Navy or Marine Corps for valor in combat. Republican Rep. Darell Issa of California, whose San Diego-area district includes Williams’s home, pressed for the retired Navy pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration, 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. " The timing of the medal presentation is notable as Mr. Trump is set to award the Medal of Honor to a — unclear in the provided context.
Eric Slover and Rep. Al Green ejection over protest sign
Eric Slover: unclear in the provided context. Separately, on Feb. 25, 2026, Rep. Al Green was ejected earlier from the House chamber for holding a sign that said "Black people aren't apes. " He was still holding the sign when he spoke to reporters in the Capitol and told them President Trump "got the message" on the sign.
