Trump Awards Medal of Honor to 2 Pilots at State of the Union Address

The president highlighted the combat actions of a U.S. special operations helicopter pilot and a Korean War fighter pilot.

US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams is presented with the Medal of Honor by First Lady Melania Trump at President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address during his second presidential term, in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 24, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

In a historic first, President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address as an opportunity to award the highest U.S. military valor decoration, the Medal of Honor.

The president recognized not one but two veterans of military aviation: Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, and retired Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams.