WASHINGTON (AP) — A helicopter pilot wounded in the raid that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the 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” where Maduro was staying. The raid, 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 trafficking charges.
Trump's description of Slover's actions that night offer a new, detailed glimpse into the military action that has been largely shrouded in secrecy since it was carried out in the early hours of Jan. 3.
As Slover prepared to land his helicopter, he was confronted with “two machine gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous planes,” according to Trump.
“Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat," Trump said, “saving the lives of his fellow warriors from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.”
The president said “the success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinged on Eric’s ability to take searing pain.”
Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, commander of Joint Special Operations Command, presented Slover with the Medal of Honor in the gallery overlooking the House chamber.
Slover, 45, was in his dress uniform and used a walker to steady himself. Trump said the soldier was still recovering from his wounds.
Lt. Col. Allie Scott, a spokeswoman for Army Special Operations Command, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Slover enlisted in the U.S. Army in August 2005 and, after completing basic training, attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school, where he became a Chinook pilot.
Scott would not provide any further details on the units Slover had been assigned to during his Army service.
But, in his career of more than 20 years, Slover was given multiple prestigious awards for his service. They include two Distinguished Flying Crosses — including one with a V Device for valor — two Bronze Stars, two Meritorious Service Medals and two Air Medals, among other awards and decorations, according to records provided by Scott.
Slover was awarded one of his Distinguished Flying Crosses just several years into his service while deployed to Afghanistan, according to a unit magazine available online. Slover, then serving with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, was one of six aviators to receive the prestigious award for “acts of heroism during aviation operations in southern Afghanistan" at Kandahar airfield, according to the January 2010 issue.
Slover's records also say he has been awarded a Purple Heart.
Trump said 10 other service members who took part in the operation will be receiving medals at a private ceremony soon to be held at the White House.
The military typically shies away from publicly identifying service members who serve in special operations units, often going so far as to blur faces of troops undergoing training for admission into the elite units.
In addition to Slover, Trump also presented the Medal of Honor to retired Capt. E. Royce Williams, a Navy pilot who shot down multiple Soviet jets during the Korean War, upgrading his existing award of a Navy Cross.
Trump called the 100-year-old former fighter pilot “one of the last living legends.”