Eric Slover: Trump awards Medal of Honor to 100-year-old veteran as House protest leads to ejection
eric slover President Trump awarded E. Royce Williams the Medal of Honor during the State of the Union, the first time a president has given the U. S. military’s highest honor for valor in combat during that address, and Rep. Al Green was ejected from the House chamber after holding a sign that read "Black people aren't apes. " Updated on: February 24, 2026 / 11: 30 PM EST.
Medal of Honor presented during State of the Union
President Trump stood as 100-year-old E. Royce Williams received the Medal of Honor and first lady Melania Trump placed the medal around his neck, marking the first time a president has awarded the decoration during a State of the Union address. 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. " CBS News first reported the plan earlier Tuesday.
Details of E. Royce Williams's 1952 dogfight
Williams, a retired Navy captain, was part of 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 off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. The 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 and for decades spoke of it to no one, not even his wife.
How Williams described the fight and his return to the carrier
Williams later recalled that the Soviet aircraft opened fire and that "Since they started the fight, " he said, "I shot back. " He struck one MiG while a fellow American pilot pursued it, then, flying alone, downed three more Soviet planes while maneuvering through what military accounts later described as hundreds of rounds of incoming fire. After his aircraft was struck, Williams 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 concluded the frigid conditions over the water made such a decision perilous. 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. "
Why the award required a special waiver
Three years ago Williams was awarded the Navy Cross. 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. " Mr. Trump called Williams earlier this month.
Rep. Al Green ejected after holding controversial sign
NBC News noted that on Feb. 25, 2026 Rep. Al Green was ejected from the House chamber after 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.
Eric Slover
eric slover
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
Officials have scheduled recovery and follow-up acknowledgments tied to the award presentation; what comes next in the congressional calendar or any additional ceremonies tied to Williams is unclear in the provided context. The House will follow its own procedures for addressing the ejection of Rep. Al Green after the Feb. 25, 2026 incident.
