The President of the United States, Donald Trump, awarded Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) Eric Slover with the Medal of Honor from Congress this Tuesday for his role in the military operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
The award was presented at the conclusion of the State of the Union address. According to an official statement from the Department of Defense, Slover —who remains on active duty— received the honor for actions taken last month during the mission that led to Maduro's arrest in Caracas.
In that operation, carried out on January 2, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. They are facing legal proceedings related to a federal charge presented in 2020, which includes allegations of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, as specified in the statement itself.
The decoration was also celebrated by the Department of Defense on its official X account, where it stated: “President Trump has just awarded CW5 Eric Slover the Medal of Honor at the State of the Union for his heroic actions in Operation Absolute Resolve.”
On its part, the U.S. Army posted on X: "American hero: CW5 Eric Slover receives the Medal of Honor from the president during the State of the Union address tonight."
During his speech, Trump explained that Slover was responsible for planning a mission involving a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. "Slover planned the mission and was the flight leader in the cockpit of the first helicopter," he stated. He added that "Eric piloted the Chinook under the cover of night and quickly descended over Maduro's heavily fortified military stronghold."
The official recounted that, as they were preparing to land, "enemy machine guns were firing from all angles, and Eric was severely hit in the leg and hip, one bullet after another." He stated that the soldier sustained four impacts.
Despite the injuries, he continued with the mission. "The only thing Eric was thinking about at that moment was getting the commandos who would capture and stop Maduro," the president stated. He also asserted that the success of the operation "depended on Eric's ability to endure unbearable pain."
After landing the helicopter at the designated point for the mission to continue, Slover handed control over to his co-pilot, who was also injured. Army Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, placed the medal around his neck during the ceremony. Trump also announced that an additional event will be held at the White House to formally present the decoration to him.
The Medal of Honor is the highest military distinction in the United States and is awarded for acts of extraordinary valor in combat.
During the same session of Congress, retired Navy Captain Royce Williams, aged 100, was also recognized for actions taken during the Korean War in 1952.
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