It was a night of incredible moments. At Tuesday’s State of the Union address by President Donald Trump, you had Democrats refusing to stand for protecting American citizens over illegal aliens, toxic congresscritter Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) wearing a profane anti-ICE pin, Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) repeatedly shouting and attempting to interrupt the speech, and Rep. Al Green (TX-09) getting the boot again.
Omar's efforts were so pathetic that almost nobody noticed. Trump just plowed ahead with what many observers felt was his finest speech yet, and the night was full of poignant moments, like when the commander-in-chief awarded the Purple Heart to West Virginia National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, who was shot in November 2025 by an Afghan national but has made a remarkable recovery. Unfortunately, his fellow soldier, Sarah Beckstrom, was killed by the targeted attack, but Trump conferred her Purple Heart to her parents posthumously in an emotional presentation.
There were other profound moments, and this one certainly stood out: the president awarded Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover with the Congressional Medal of Honor. Slover was the lead helicopter pilot for Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. raid that captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in January.
I say "former" because Maduro now sits in a cell in New York City awaiting trial on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
As we reported, Slover was shot multiple times during the mission, but still (amazingly) managed to get his Chinook twin-rotor MH-47 back to safety after dropping off soldiers to conduct the raid. Trump lauded his bravery as he awarded him the honor:
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump awards the MEDAL OF HONOR TO Eric Slover, a HERO of the raid on Nicolas Maduro
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 25, 2026
"The deeds of one warrior that night will LIVE FOREVER."
Eric was HIT in the leg during the operation — despite that, he flew the helicopter expertly, saved the lives of… pic.twitter.com/ORhvvsqiCv
The above tweet continues:
Eric was HIT in the leg during the operation — despite that, he flew the helicopter expertly, saved the lives of his fellow warriors from a crash and the mission was carried out fully
The whole room gave him a standing ovation. This is a FULL-BLOWN PATRIOT.
Trump:
In recognition of Eric's actions above and beyond the call of duty, I would now like to ask General Jonathan Braga to present Chief Warrant Officer Slover with our nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. [Lengthy standing ovation.]
AMERICAN HERO:
— U.S. Army (@USArmy) February 25, 2026
CW5 Eric Slover receives the Medal of Honor from @POTUS during tonight’s State of the Union Address. pic.twitter.com/xvIAq6DFuJ
HERO: Night Stalkers Over Caracas: How U.S. Special Forces Pulled Off the Perfect Raid
Slover is still recovering from his injuries, but he was able to be there in person and receive his well-deserved medal. Several other servicemembers were injured in the raid as well, and Trump said he would honor them at a later date at the White House.
Isn't it nice to see an American leader who values the bravery and sacrifices of the United States military and isn’t hesitant to honor them when they’ve earned it?
Editor's Note: With President Trump back in the White House, the state of our Union is strong once again.
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