Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover receives the Congressional Medal of Honor during U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 24, 2026.WASHINGTON – A helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the Congressional Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.
Trump said Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, who appeared using a walker, was the pilot of the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” that held Maduro during a raid that, while successful, left seven U.S. service members with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.
Trump said Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, who appeared using a walker, was the pilot of the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” that held Maduro during a raid that, while successful, left seven U.S. service members with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.
While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle, and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one bullet after another,” Trump said, adding that Slover “absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”
Months of covert planning led to the brazen operation that plunged the South American country’s capital into darkness as troops infiltrated Maduro’s home and whisked him to the United States to face drug
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