At President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address to the nation, he did something extraordinary. He included the awarding of two Medals of Honor.

Despite bipartisan chants of “USA, USA, USA” in the chamber, predictably, some deranged Demos politicized the awards by demeaning the recipients as political props.

In fact, the heroic recipients of these Medals of Honor received high-profile recognition at a high-profile event by a president who has restored integrity, mission, and morale to our military Service Branches, after they had suffered years of atrophy and degradation under the previous presidential regime. Presenting the awards on behalf of Congress at a State of the Union was a fitting venue before a proud nation.

The first Medal went to a 100-year-old Veteran Navy fighter pilot, CAPT Royce Williams (USN), whom I have previously profiled. Williams was involved in a 1952 mission over Korea. In a 35-minute dogfight with seven Soviet MiGs, then-Lieutenant Williams shot down four of the enemy aircraft, and the others fled. Williams’s aircraft took 263 hits in that engagement, including one 23 mm cannon hit. The long delay in awarding CAPT Williams’s MoH was because his valiant mission in 1952 over Korea was classified right after it happened. The Soviet Union was not an “official” combatant in the Korean War, and if the dogfight was acknowledged, intelligence and defense analysts believed that might draw the USSR further into the conflict.

The second Medal went to Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, the subject of this profile.

CWO5 Slover is a 45-year-old senior Army aviator with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) “Night Stalkers.” He pilots an MH-47 Chinook heavy-lift aircraft for transporting troops and equipment in combat zones. As with most 160th SOAR operations, this one was a perilous night mission.

The 160th SOAR was formed after the failure of Jimmy Carter’s Operation Eagle Claw in 1981 to rescue American hostages in Iran — hostages who were all released by Iran moments into Ronald Reagan’s inaugural speech. No coincidence there. The 160th Regiment supports Army SF, Navy SEALs, and Joint Special Operations Command units. They primarily fly heavily modified MH-47 Chinooks, MH-60 Black Hawks, and MH-6 Little Birds.

As is the case with any active-duty special operator, I won’t release any details about his family, early life, or hometown. But here is what I can say about his mission.

On 3 January 2026, CWO5 Slover was tasked during Operation Absolute Resolve with inserting the lead assault team into a compound to capture Venezuela’s narco-trafficking dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

He was badly wounded during that operation, but his regiment’s motto is, “Night Stalkers Don’t Quit,” and he didn’t.

Absolute Resolve was a critical strategic mission under the direction of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Dan Caine (USAF), involving more than 150 aircraft, including F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs, F/A-18 Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, and even B-1B Lancer strategic bombers.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported the operation was “flawlessly executed” at 22:46, and Maduro was in U.S. custody aboard the USS Iwo Jima by 03:29. The overland part of Absolute Resolve commenced as 02:01 local time under a full moon, indicative of the confidence that Venezuela’s Russian and Chinese weapon systems had been fully suppressed by our countermeasures. It took less than three hours until feet were wet again. It demonstrated the exceptional capabilities of our military forces to successfully conduct such a bold operation.

It was a bad night for Maduro — and for the Red Chinese delegation in Caracas sent by Xi Jinping to evaluate the progress of their alliance and $67 billion investment in Venezuela. This was a loud shot across the ChiComs’ bow.

On approach and touching down in Maduro’s compound, Slover’s helicopter was hit with a wave of machine-gun fire, and he suffered four serious wounds. Despite the severity of his wounds, he maintained control of his Chinook, completed the insertion, and then safely exfilled his crew and operators.

According to CWO5 Slover’s Medal of Honor citation:

Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover piloted his MH-47 as the lead aircraft of the operation, tasked with executing a highly complex infiltration through hostile Integrated Air Defense Systems to safely deliver military forces. During ingress, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover skillfully led the helicopter force through a dense jungle valley in a mountainous region, navigating marginal weather conditions, numerous topographical hazards, and near insurmountable surface to air threats. Upon touching down at the designated landing zone, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover’s aircraft was immediately engaged by multiple machine gun positions at close range. The hostile fire resulted in 15 armor-piercing rounds entering his cockpit, with four rounds striking his leg.

His citation continues:

Despite the intense and effective enemy fire, and at great personal risk, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover maintained his situational awareness and aircraft’s position in the line of fire to ensure the safe infiltration of the military forces. After the force disembarked, and despite suffering significant life-threatening injuries, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover identified hostile heavy machine gun positions that were engaging his aircraft and targeting the ground forces. He maneuvered his aircraft to enable his door gunner to deliver effective fire, successfully neutralizing the threats.

His citation concludes:

Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover’s heroic actions undoubtedly saved countless American lives and ensured the complete and overwhelming success of the mission. His gallantry under fire and extraordinary valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.

His Medal of Honor award, presented by LTG Jonathan Braga at this high-profile SOTU, was a rare occasion when a covert aviation regiment operator stepped into the public light.

Eric Slover is still recovering from his injuries, as was evident at the SOTU ceremony.

Notably, President Trump had referenced Slover 10 days prior to his SOTU in remarks at Fort Bragg, where he declared, “With your help, America is winning again, America is respected again, and perhaps most importantly, we are feared by the enemies all over the globe.”

Indeed, we are.

CWO5 Eric Slover: An ordinary man faced with extraordinary circumstances, he summoned the greatest measure of courage to place his life in imminent peril to save others. Your example of valor — a humble American Patriot defending Liberty for all above and beyond the call of duty — is eternal.

Footnote: I have been asked, given that some Medal of Honor awards take years, if CWO5 Slover’s award was the quickest after his action. The answer is no; that would be the Medal awarded to Jimmy Doolittle for what became known as “Doolittle’s Raid” on 18 April 1942. Doolittle was concerned he might actually be court-martialed for missing his primary targets, and after the loss of all his planes, which ran out of fuel, including his own. But four weeks after the raid, on 19 May, he was at the White House for his MoH ceremony.

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Live your life worthy of his sacrifice.

(Read more Profiles of Valor here.)

Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776

Follow Mark Alexander on X/Twitter.

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