🇺🇸 Medal of Honor for Retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams
Retired Navy Capt. Elmer Royce Williams, age 100 and originally from Wilmot, South Dakota, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Donald Trump during the 2026 State of the Union address on Feb. 24, 2026.
Williams’ award recognizes extraordinary heroism during the Korean War in 1952. He engaged in a prolonged aerial battle over the sea off Korea against seven Soviet MiG-15 jets, shot down four of them, and saved U.S. naval forces by shielding them with his actions — all while his own aircraft took heavy damage. For decades the combat encounter was classified and not publicly recognized.
The Medal of Honor ceremony made Williams the oldest living recipient to receive the nation’s highest military award.
First Lady Melania Trump helped place the medal on Williams’ neck during the address.
🇺🇸 Medal of Honor for Army Helicopter Pilot Eric Slover
At the same event, President Trump also awarded Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover of the U.S. Army the Medal of Honor for actions during a U.S. military raid on Venezuela earlier this year (January 3, 2026) that resulted in the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Slover, a pilot of an MH-47 Chinook helicopter in that mission, was seriously wounded by enemy fire (multiple shots to his leg and hip) as his aircraft approached a heavily defended target site. Despite his injuries, he maintained control of the helicopter, enabling the joint force to complete the mission and avoid a catastrophic crash.
He received the honor from Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga during the State of the Union address as representatives and members of Congress looked on.
Slover’s award marked one of the earliest Medal of Honor recognitions for the 2026 Operation Absolute Resolve mission in Venezuela.
🧾 Contextual Differences Between the Two Awards
Timeframe: Williams’ award came more than 70 years after his Korean War heroics, a delay caused by decades of classification and subsequent upgrades of his earlier decorations.
Type of Action: Williams was honored for air combat against enemy fighter jets in a Cold War era clash, while Slover was recognized for piloting under fire in a modern special operations raid.
Presentation: Both medals were presented during the same State of the Union speech — an unusual setting for such awards, which historically have been handed out in more private ceremonies.
If you want, I can also provide more detail on the historical context of Williams’ Korean War engagement or a breakdown of the Venezuelan raid that led to Slover’s award.
