President Donald Trump presented Chief Warrant Officer Five Eric Slover, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot wounded in the audacious raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with the Medal of Honor on Tuesday during his State of the Union address.
As Slover, 45, and his wife entered the chamber, they received a standing ovation while chants of “USA, USA, USA” rang out. The scene struck a bipartisan high note. Slover, who is still recovering from his injuries, appeared in full dress uniform and relied on a walker to steady himself.
Trump offered a rare window into the covert Jan. 3 mission, known as Operation Absolute Resolve. The president cast Slover not just as one of its principal architects, but as the flight lead in the cockpit.
He said Slover was the first Chinook helicopter to approach Maduro’s heavily fortified Caracas compound under the cover of darkness.
