{"id":25984110,"date":"2026-10-01T18:52:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T16:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=25984110"},"modified":"2026-10-01T18:52:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T16:52:58","slug":"eric-slover-medal-of-honor-mh-47-chinook-night-stalker-venezuela-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/eric-slover-medal-of-honor-mh-47-chinook-night-stalker-venezuela-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Slover: The Night Stalker Who Held His Chinook Under Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>On the night of 3 January 2026, the first helicopter into one of the most sensitive raids in recent American history was an Army MH-47 <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ch-47-chinook\/\">Chinook<\/a> flown by Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover. Minutes later he had four bullets in his leg. Seven weeks after that, with a walker at his side, he received the Medal of Honor in the chamber of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Slover, a pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the &ldquo;Night Stalkers&rdquo;, flew the lead aircraft in Operation Absolute Resolve, the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro. His story has been shared widely online. This is what the official record says.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Pilot:<\/strong> CW5 Eric Slover, US Army<\/li><li><strong>Unit:<\/strong> 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), the Night Stalkers<\/li><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> MH-47 Chinook, lead aircraft of the operation<\/li><li><strong>Operation:<\/strong> Absolute Resolve, Venezuela, 3 January 2026<\/li><li><strong>Wounds:<\/strong> 15 armour-piercing rounds into the cockpit, four in his leg<\/li><li><strong>Award:<\/strong> Medal of Honor, State of the Union, 24 February 2026<\/li><li><strong>First:<\/strong> First Chief Warrant Officer 5 ever to receive the Medal of Honor<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:28px 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/mh-47g-chinook-160th-soar-night-stalkers.jpg\" alt=\"MH-47G Chinook of the 160th SOAR\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:8px\">An MH-47G Chinook of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers, during training. Slover flew the lead MH-47 on the Venezuela raid. Photo: US Air Force, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The lead aircraft<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The helicopters had to reach the objective at night, low, and undetected, through an integrated air defence network. According to Slover&rsquo;s Medal of Honor citation, he led the helicopter force through a dense jungle valley in a mountainous region, in marginal weather, past numerous terrain hazards and what the citation calls near insurmountable surface-to-air threats.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As his MH-47 touched down at the landing zone, it was hit by machine-gun fire from several positions at close range. Fifteen armour-piercing rounds came into the cockpit. Four struck Slover in the leg; other accounts describe his wounds as to the leg and hip.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He did not lift off. A helicopter that leaves a hot landing zone early can leave troops aboard or on the ground without support. Slover held the Chinook in position, in the line of fire, until the assault force had disembarked. Then, badly wounded, he identified the heavy machine-gun positions that were firing on his aircraft and on the troops, and manoeuvred the MH-47 so that his door gunner could engage them. The threats were neutralised.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #c0392b;padding:22px 26px;margin:30px 0\"><p style=\"font-size:19px;line-height:1.6;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 12px\">&ldquo;Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover&rsquo;s heroic actions undoubtedly saved countless American lives and ensured the complete and overwhelming success of the mission.&rdquo;<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Medal of Honor citation<\/strong>, CW5 Eric A. Slover, US Army<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:28px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DlVkJyXYVqE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A career of hard landings<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Slover enlisted in the Army in 2005, went through Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school, and became a Chinook pilot. In November 2009, flying with the 82nd Airborne Division during a casualty evacuation in Badghis Province, Afghanistan, his helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade that failed to explode and stayed lodged in the aircraft for the rest of the flight. He later joined the Night Stalkers and was twice awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with the &ldquo;V&rdquo; device for valour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The 160th was formed after the failure of Operation Eagle Claw in Iran in 1980, when the lack of a dedicated special operations helicopter unit proved disastrous, a story we tell in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-eagle-claw-desert-one-1980\/\">Desert One: The Night Everything Went Wrong<\/a>. Its crews fly modified MH-47 Chinooks, MH-60 Black Hawks and MH-6 Little Birds, mostly at night and at very low level, and the regiment&rsquo;s best-known battle remains <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/battle-of-mogadishu-1993-black-hawk-helicopter-tactics\/\">Mogadishu in 1993<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:28px 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/cw5-eric-slover-receives-medal-of-honor.jpg\" alt=\"CW5 Eric Slover receives the Medal of Honor\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:8px\">CW5 Eric Slover receives the Medal of Honor, still recovering from the wounds he suffered in Venezuela. Photo: The White House, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Medal of Honor in the House chamber<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The award moved unusually fast. Medal of Honor nominations normally take a year or more to pass through the chain of command; Slover&rsquo;s was approved in time for him to receive it from President Trump during the State of the Union address on 24 February 2026, the first time the medal had ever been presented at a State of the Union. His wife Amy was with him. Korean War fighter pilot Capt. E. Royce Williams, aged 100, received the Medal of Honor at the same address.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:22px 26px;margin:30px 0\"><p style=\"font-size:19px;line-height:1.6;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 12px\">&ldquo;One bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces.&rdquo;<\/p><p style=\"margin:0;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong>, State of the Union address, 24 February 2026<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Slover is the first Chief Warrant Officer 5 ever to receive the Medal of Honor, and he is widely reported to be the first Night Stalker to receive it. Some details in the versions circulating online, such as exactly who recommended the award and how the controls were handed over after he was hit, have not been confirmed in the official record and are left out here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:28px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QFtxacUUmZ0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:28px 0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/eric-slover-medal-of-honor-state-of-the-union-2026.jpg\" alt=\"CW5 Eric Slover at the 2026 State of the Union\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;display:block\" \/><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:8px\">Members of Congress applaud CW5 Eric Slover, standing in the gallery, at the State of the Union on 24 February 2026. Photo: The White House, public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:28px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MeyaMR2yuks\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Who is Eric Slover?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover is a US Army MH-47 Chinook pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers. He received the Medal of Honor on 24 February 2026 for flying the lead helicopter in Operation Absolute Resolve, the 3 January 2026 raid in Venezuela that captured Nicol&aacute;s Maduro.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did Eric Slover receive the Medal of Honor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">According to his citation, Slover led the helicopter force through a mountainous jungle valley in poor weather and past hostile air defences. When his MH-47 landed it was hit by close-range machine-gun fire: 15 armour-piercing rounds entered the cockpit and four struck his leg. He held the aircraft in position until the assault force was off, then manoeuvred so his door gunner could silence the heavy machine guns.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was Operation Absolute Resolve?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Operation Absolute Resolve was the US special operations raid on 3 January 2026 that captured Venezuelan President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carried the assault force, which reportedly included Delta Force operators.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where was Slover awarded the Medal of Honor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Slover during the State of the Union address in the US Capitol on 24 February 2026, the first time the medal had been awarded at a State of the Union. Korean War veteran Capt. E. Royce Williams, aged 100, received the Medal of Honor at the same event.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is Slover the first Night Stalker to receive the Medal of Honor?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">He is widely reported to be the first member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment to receive the Medal of Honor, and he is the first Chief Warrant Officer 5 in history to receive it.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What helicopter did Eric Slover fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Slover flew an MH-47 Chinook, the special operations version of the Boeing CH-47 heavy-lift helicopter flown by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. It has terrain-following radar, a refuelling probe and extra fuel for long, low-level night missions.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who is Eric Slover?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover is a US Army MH-47 Chinook pilot with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers. He received the Medal of Honor on 24 February 2026 for flying the lead helicopter in Operation Absolute Resolve, the 3 January 2026 raid in Venezuela that captured Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did Eric Slover receive the Medal of Honor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"According to his citation, Slover led the helicopter force through a mountainous jungle valley in poor weather and past hostile air defences. When his MH-47 landed it was hit by close-range machine-gun fire: 15 armour-piercing rounds entered the cockpit and four struck his leg. He held the aircraft in position until the assault force was off, then manoeuvred so his door gunner could silence the heavy machine guns.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Operation Absolute Resolve?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Operation Absolute Resolve was the US special operations raid on 3 January 2026 that captured Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment carried the assault force, which reportedly included Delta Force operators.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where was Slover awarded the Medal of Honor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Slover during the State of the Union address in the US Capitol on 24 February 2026, the first time the medal had been awarded at a State of the Union. Korean War veteran Capt. E. Royce Williams, aged 100, received the Medal of Honor at the same event.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is Slover the first Night Stalker to receive the Medal of Honor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"He is widely reported to be the first member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment to receive the Medal of Honor, and he is the first Chief Warrant Officer 5 in history to receive it.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What helicopter did Eric Slover fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Slover flew an MH-47 Chinook, the special operations version of the Boeing CH-47 heavy-lift helicopter flown by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. It has terrain-following radar, a refuelling probe and extra fuel for long, low-level night missions.\"}}]}<\/script><p style=\"font-size:14px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin-top:28px\">Sources: Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Eric A. Slover citation (February 2026); Military Times, 25 February 2026; Associated Press; Heliops Magazine; CNN; Wikipedia, &ldquo;Eric Slover&rdquo; and &ldquo;160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment&rdquo;.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/operation-eagle-claw-desert-one-1980\/\">Desert One: The Night Everything Went Wrong<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/battle-of-mogadishu-1993-black-hawk-helicopter-tactics\/\">Black Hawk Down: The Air Battle Over Mogadishu, 1993<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/behind-enemy-lines-the-most-daring-rescue-since-bosnia\/\">Behind Enemy Lines: The Most Daring Rescue Since Bosnia<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CW5 Eric Slover flew the lead MH-47 Chinook on the January 2026 Venezuela raid, took four rounds in the leg and held his helicopter in place. He received the Medal of Honor.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":25978618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25984110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Eric Slover: Medal of Honor Night Stalker MH-47 Pilot<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eric Slover flew the lead MH-47 Chinook into the January 2026 Venezuela raid, took four rounds in the leg and held his helicopter in place. 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