<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">President Donald Trump presented six of the nation’s highest honors during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, recognizing acts of military heroism and athletic excellence. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump gave the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award, to Army Chief Warrant Officer Eric Slover, a helicopter pilot wounded during the successful raid that captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Slover was struck four times by enemy fire while preparing to land his Chinook helicopter at Maduro’s compound. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon Maduro&#8217;s heavily protected military fortress. This was a major military installation protected by thousands of soldiers,” Trump said. “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. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump also awarded the Medal of Honor to 100-year-old naval aviator Royce Williams, who fought in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, flying more than 200 combat missions. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;In 1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime,” Trump said of an encounter during the Korean War. “Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn&#8217;t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew.&#8221;</span></p>
<div id="attachment_1049447" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049447" class="size-full wp-image-1049447" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg" alt="US First Lady Melania Trump presents US veteran Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor during US President Donald Trump's the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262903760-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1049447" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump awarded the Purple Heart to Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, a National Guardsman who was seriously wounded in a shooting attack in Washington, D.C., before Thanksgiving. He also presented a Purple Heart to the family of Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a National Guard soldier who was killed in the same attack. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With God&#8217;s help, Andrew has battled back from the edge of death,” Trump said. “He&#8217;s got a little work to do, but he&#8217;s doing great.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The man suspected of attacking them was an Afghan national who was let into the country after former President Joe Biden withdrew American forces from Afghanistan. </span></p>
<div id="attachment_1049449" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049449" class="size-full wp-image-1049449" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg" alt="National Guard Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who survived a November 2025 shooting attack in Washington, DC, receives a Purple Heart as he is recognized by US President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="675" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-300x198.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-874x576.jpg 874w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262896460-768x506.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1049449" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images.</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scott Ruskin, a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer who saved 165 people during deadly flooding in Texas in July 2025, was awarded the Legion of Merit, a military decoration recognizing outstanding service. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;It was Scott&#8217;s first ever rescue mission,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;People watched Scott from a distance, and they couldn&#8217;t believe what they were seeing.&#8221;</span></p>
<div id="attachment_1049451" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049451" class="size-full wp-image-1049451" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan and Milly Cate, a camper who was rescued by Ruskan during the flooding at Camp Mystic, attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump delivered his address days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration's tariff strategy, and amid a U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf threatening Iran." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262892824-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1049451" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images.</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump also announced that he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the top honor for a civilian, to Connor Hellebuyck, the goalie for the Olympic gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team. During the team’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada in the final, Hellebuyck recorded 41 saves, including a crucial third-period stop that preserved the victory. </span></p>
<div id="attachment_1049453" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1049453" class="size-full wp-image-1049453" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg" alt="Goalie Connor Hellebuyck raises his gold medal as members of the US Men's Olympic hockey team are recogized by US President Donald Trump as he delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. " width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2262888124-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1049453" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images.</p></div>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor <span style="font-weight: 400;">Hellebuyck,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;</span>I will soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump said only around 12 other athletes have been given the Medal of Freedom in the past.</p>

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