Eric Slover: Trump awards Medal of Honor to 100-year-old veteran during State of the Union
eric slover — President Trump honored 100-year-old E. Royce Williams during the State of the Union on Feb. 24, 2026, awarding the Medal of Honor for a secret Korean War mission; the presentation was the first time a president has given the nation's highest valor award during a State of the Union address.
A rare Medal of Honor presentation during the State of the Union
The event was updated on Feb. 24, 2026, at 11: 30 p. m. EST and followed a disclosure earlier that day by CBS News that the plan was in place. Mr. Trump told the chamber, "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.
Williams' half-hour dogfight over the Korean Peninsula
Retired Navy captain E. Royce Williams was part of what the U. S. military later called the longest aerial engagement in U. S. Navy history: a half-hour dogfight in 1952 in which 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; Williams recalled, "Since they started the fight, " he said, "I shot back. " Military accounts describe him maneuvering through what they later called hundreds of rounds of incoming fire.
Damage, secrecy and later recognition
After Williams' aircraft was struck, he turned back toward an American aircraft carrier and guided the damaged plane in for a high-speed landing. He later said he had considered ejecting but that frigid conditions over the water made that decision perilous. 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 of the operation surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union when archival records and military histories were made public. Three years ago, he was awarded the Navy Cross.
Eric Slover
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. Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration, waiving the longstanding requirement that the medal 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.
House ejection after a sign and a short message
On Feb. 25, 2026, Rep. Al Green was ejected 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.
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.
