During his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Donald Trump awarded two Congressional Medals of Honor, the nation’s highest decoration for valor in combat — one for heroism from more than 70 years ago and the other for heroism in the U.S.’s most recent military action.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the recipients was Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, a special operations helicopter pilot who was severely wounded in the raid that captured Venezuela’s President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. As Slover’s Chinook swept in, rounds from the ground tore through the cockpit and into his legs and hip.<\/p>\n
“Eric was hit very badly in the\u00a0leg\u00a0and hip, one bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his\u00a0leg\u00a0into numerous pieces,” Trump said as Slover stood with the aid of a walker.<\/p>\n
![\"Brendan\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/65535daf-ee98-4bd7-a637-41ecd3df42b0\/eric-slover-gty-jt-260224_1771992088286_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375 "\\"Brendan\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover receives the Congressional Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Slover was presented the award by Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, a break from tradition in which the president personally presents the award to its recipient.<\/p>\n In recent decades, the review and awarding the Medal of Honor comes after exhaustive reviews and interviews with witnesses\u00a0that can drag on for years\u00a0— that\u00a0had become\u00a0the norm with heroic actions that occurred in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n But the announcement of Slover’s award marks a break with that pattern as he was awarded the medal just 52 days after his mission, a short turnaround similar to what was seen in World War II.<\/p>\n First lady Melania Trump presented the second Medal of Honor to retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, a 100-year-old retired Navy captain whose extraordinary dogfight during the Korean War remained classified for decades, even to his wife, as the encounter could have ignited World War III.<\/p>\n “At 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves,” Trump said. “He was a legend long before this evening.”<\/p>\n First Lady Melania Trump presents US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor during US President Donald Trump’s the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, Feb. 24, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Brendan Smialowski\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to Navy records, on Nov. 18, 1952, during the Korean War, Williams launched from an aircraft carrier on what was supposed to be a routine patrol. Then came a warning that seven MiG-15s were inbound. The three other American aircraft in Williams’ formation were unable to engage with the MiGs.<\/p>\n The MiGs he faced were Soviet aircraft flown by Soviet pilots at a time when the Soviet Union was not officially a combatant in the conflict. Public acknowledgment of the clash risked escalating into direct confrontation between nuclear powers, a step that, in 1952, many feared could ignite a third world war.<\/p>\n What followed was 30-minutes of aerial combat. By the time it ended, he had shot down four enemy jets. His own aircraft, a F9F-5 Panther, was riddled with more than 250 bullet holes, yet he managed to guide it back to the carrier and land safely on deck.<\/p>\n There was no celebration waiting for Williams. Instead, he was told he could not speak about what had happened and the encounter was immediately classified. He didn’t even tell his wife until the 1990s, when the records of the fight were declassified.<\/p>\n![\"Captain\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b3e1b3c8-88a9-4dda-a69d-c5df468dc738\/sotu-42-gty-gmh-260224_1771992237409_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Captain\\"")
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