Eric Slover: Trump awards Medal of Honor to 100‑year‑old E. Royce Williams during State of the Union

eric slover unclear in the provided context. President Trump honored 100‑year‑old E. Royce Williams on Tuesday night by awarding him the Medal of Honor during the State of the Union, the first time a president has presented the nation’s highest combat decoration during that speech.

Eric Slover and the State of the Union presentation

Updated on: February 24, 2026, 11: 30 p. m. EST. 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. " Williams stood as first lady Melania Trump placed the medal around his neck.

What Williams did in 1952

Williams, a retired Navy captain, took part in what is described as the longest aerial engagement in U. S. Navy history: during a half‑hour dogfight in 1952 he fought seven Soviet MiG fighter jets and shot down four. 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. The Soviet aircraft opened fire; Williams later recalled, "Since they started the fight, " he said, "I shot back. "

Damage, secrecy and later recognition

Williams struck one MiG while his fellow American pilot pursued it; then, flying alone, he engaged the remaining aircraft and downed three more while maneuvering through what military accounts later described as hundreds of rounds of incoming fire. After his aircraft was struck, he turned back toward an American aircraft carrier and guided the damaged plane in for a landing at high speed. He later said he had considered ejecting but judged the frigid conditions over the water too perilous.

How the episode was kept quiet and later surfaced

Soviet involvement was top secret at the time, and the records of the event were classified for decades. Williams has said he was instructed to keep the airborne clash a secret — a rare and politically fraught confrontation between American and Soviet forces when the two Cold War adversaries were intent on avoiding open war. Details of the operations surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as archival records and military histories were made public.

Congressional push, recent honors and a notable waiver

Three years ago Williams was awarded the Navy Cross, 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. Darrell Issa of California, whose San Diego‑area district includes Williams' 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. " Mr. Trump called Williams earlier this month.

Rep. Al Green kept his sign and told reporters 'Trump got the message'

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, telling them President Trump "got the message" on the sign.

eric slover unclear in the provided context.

The timing of the medal presentation is notable as Mr. Trump is set to award the Medal of Honor to a

The next confirmed milestones are unclear in the provided context.