Eric Slover: Medal of Honor for 100-year-old E. Royce Williams and a House ejection over a sign
President Trump awarded the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old veteran E. Royce Williams during the State of the Union, a first for that setting, and Rep. Al Green was ejected from the House after holding a sign; eric slover is unclear in the provided context.
A president presented the nation’s highest combat honor during the State of the Union
On February 24, 2026 / 11: 30 PM EST, President Trump placed the Medal of Honor around the neck of retired Navy captain E. Royce Williams, who stood as first lady Melania Trump performed the presentation. Williams is 100 years old, and the ceremony marked the first time a president awarded the Medal of Honor during a State of the Union address.
How Williams described the 1952 dogfight
Williams was part of what is described as 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; the Soviet aircraft opened fire, and Williams later recalled, "Since they started the fight, I shot back. "
He struck one MiG while his 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 guided the damaged plane in for a high-speed landing on an American aircraft carrier and said he had considered ejecting but concluded the frigid conditions over the water made that perilous. In a 2022 interview with Task & Purpose he said, "In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job. I was only shooting what I had. "
How the Medal of Honor came to be awarded now
For decades, Soviet involvement in the clash was top secret and the records were classified; details surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union as archival records and military histories were made public. 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 pilot to receive the Medal of Honor.
Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration by waiving the longstanding requirement that the Medal be awarded within five years of the act of valor. Issa wrote earlier this month that, "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 a sign in the House
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's role is unclear in the provided context
The provided context contains no facts about Eric Slover's involvement, presence, or connection to the events described; eric slover is 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 unclear in the provided context. Next confirmed milestones or follow-up events are unclear in the provided context.
