Trump spotlights battlefield heroism with dual Medal of Honor awards

President Donald Trump used part of his State of the Union address Tuesday to highlight American military heroism, awarding U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover and U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams the nation’s highest military honor.

Recalling what he described as a high-risk raid in January targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Trump detailed Slover’s role in leading the mission. He said Slover was piloting a Chinook helicopter transporting U.S. forces into heavily fortified enemy territory under the cover of darkness. As the aircraft approached the target, it came under intense machine gun fire from several directions.

“There were a lot of heroes in that January raid to capture Maduro. Very big heroes. It was very dangerous,” Trump said, describing the perilous mission.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover receives the Medal of Honor during the State of the Union address, Feb. 24, 2026. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

“He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces,” the president continued, telling lawmakers that “the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors depend on Eric’s ability” to continue flying while blood “flows.”[ed] in the aisle. »

Slover, still recovering from his injuries, attended the speech with his wife, Amy, as he received the nation’s highest military honor.

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First lady Melania Trump presents the Medal of Honor to U.S. veteran Captain E. Royce Williams. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to Williams, a 100-year-old Korean War veteran and retired Navy captain, for his extraordinary combat valor in a long-classified 1952 dogfight over the Sea of ​​Japan.

Flying a single F9F Panther aircraft from the USS Oriskany, Williams engaged and shot down four Soviet MiG-15 fighters in a 35-minute battle, despite being vastly outnumbered and flying an aircraft considered inferior in speed and rate of climb.

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At the time, the U.S. government kept the meeting secret to avoid escalating tensions with the Soviet Union, which was not officially recognized as a combatant in the war. Decades later, after the details were declassified, Williams’ actions were officially recognized with the nation’s highest military honor.

Back-to-back Medal of Honor ceremonies highlighted the administration’s emphasis on military service, drawing plenty of applause from lawmakers and guests in the room.

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