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In all seriousness, the threshold for getting an MoH as a living serviceman is incredibly high. And there's not one shred of doubt in my mind that this administration would happily violate the customary burdens for qualification so they could say that their operation had one more piece of flair on it. If the guy lives up to the standard set by previous recipients, then by all means. But getting shot and continuing the mission is not enough. And unfortunately for that pilot, everybody knows Trump is going to be pushing this as hard as he can, regardless of whether or not he deserves the medal.

We all know some MoHs are politically-driven even when the acts themselves are noble and worthy of recognition. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who famously refused Nazi demands to single out Jewish American soldiers while he was a prisoner of war in Stalag IX‑A during World War II, is being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for this act of courage. By no means am I trying to undercut what Edmonds did! A German officer held a pistol to his head and demanded that he identify the Jews. Edmonds refused, warning the officer he would be prosecuted as a war criminal. The officer backed down, and Edmonds’ actions saved about 200 Jewish‑American POWs who otherwise could have been killed or sent to labor camps. This could be in response to David Rubitsky, a Jewish American WWII veteran who believed he had been denied the Medal of Honor because he was Jewish. On 1-2 Dec 1942 during the Battle of Buna, Rubitsky singlehandedly defended a bunker with a ".30-cal. machine gun, a .45-cal. pistol, a rifle and grenades." Allegedly, he beat off the Japanese after a 21-hour battle in which he killed 500 to 600 of the enemy, including wounded men he later shot or bayoneted. However, a 23‑month U.S. Army investigation concluded that there was “incontestable evidence” he had not performed the actions he claimed, thus the Medal of Honor was not awarded. I'll let you judge if CWO5 Slover was deserving... "During combat operations against a heavily fortified hostile objective in Caracas, Venezuela, Chief Warrant Officer Five Eric Slover distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the flight lead pilot of a CH‑47 Chinook helicopter during the joint U.S. mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. On 3 January 2026, Slover led the first assault aircraft of Operation Absolute Resolve as U.S. special operations forces executed a nighttime airborne infiltration into Maduro’s secure compound. The target facility was defended by thousands of hostile personnel and protected by Russian and Chinese integrated defensive systems, presenting an extremely high‑risk aviation environment. Despite these dangers, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover pressed the assault to deliver the ground force that would seize the objective. As Slover descended toward the landing zone, his aircraft came under intense, concentrated machine‑gun fire from multiple directions. Within seconds, he was struck four times in the leg and hip, sustaining devastating wounds that shattered his leg into multiple pieces. Although gravely injured and in excruciating pain, Slover refused to relinquish control of the aircraft. Blood flowed down the inside of the cockpit as he steadied the aircraft under fire, demonstrating extraordinary composure and iron resolve. Fully aware that failure to insert the assault force would jeopardize the entire mission and risk the lives of every service member involved, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover continued the descent and successfully delivered the U.S. special operations team into the target compound. His unwavering commitment, even while seriously wounded, enabled the ground force to fight its way into the stronghold and successfully capture President Nicolás Maduro, bringing to a close a high‑stakes international operation months in the making. After ensuring the commandos were safely inserted, Slover maneuvered the damaged aircraft away from the landing zone while continuing to bleed heavily and remain at risk of losing consciousness. His actions directly contributed to the safe extraction of U.S. forces and the overall success of the mission. For the duration of the flight, he placed mission accomplishment and the lives of his team above his own survival, demonstrating valor on par with the highest traditions of American military service. Chief Warrant Officer Five Eric Slover’s fearless leadership, selfless devotion to duty, and willingness to face certain death exemplify the very essence of heroism. His gallant actions under fire reflect great credit upon himself, the United States Army, and the United States of America." That said, how this was completed in less than two months whereas a Purple Heart was just recently awarded for a combat injury 13 years ago tells me that there was political objective behind this award!

@jonlbs That extremely over-simplified, distilled version of the event is all you’re going to get - it is what it is. I don’t see this one as unwarranted (though I understand the speed at which it was pushed through is almost certainly politically driven). Like all awards/medals, including the MOH, there will always be people who easily could have/should have received them and didn’t. That fact doesn’t immediately negate the validity of someone else’s award.

Sua’s minimum is 5, ideally 6 or more hits for a MOH, and preferably would’ve got at least one practice approach in upon RTB.

He was shot FOUR times including in the leg and hip, but flew on and conducted the air assault.

Most of the prep for flatbed loading is complete ✅

Nice looking Piper. "Someone tell me what to do."... I would sure like to know more about his flight training. Wow.

Sounds like typical big tech. We want those sweet DoD dollars, but we want to pretend like we stand for world peace and non-aggression. Fuck them. They should feel privileged to serve the military that created the world they profit so richly in.

I feel comfortable aggressively telling you to STFU. Especially about a -47 pilot being shot 4 times and still successfully operating a helicopter the size of a bus in combat. I'm doubting you've ever been shot at, much less shot at while actually in range, much less while piloting a helicopter, which I've heard equated to as balancing on a swissball while playing a guitar. Dear keyboard warrior: Stop talking Beyond that, it's the CONGRESSIONAL Medal of Honor. Every single one has politics behind it. The president puts it on, but a LOT of other people approve it first. No doubt political shenanigans were at play...but also no doubt this dude did something to deserve it.

Okay, I wouldn't have...but my brother would have

Wonder how many army pilots have taken bullets and continued flying? Did they all get MoH’s?

The Struggle is real.

Well deserved and earned.

If you’re an AI company and want to do business with the DOD, then you have to be OK with them implementing it in ways that will result in death and destruction. If you don’t like that, then don’t do business with the DOD.

And hot Mexican chicks

Mexico is perhaps the most perfect example of gun laws being absolutely useless and only screwing over good people, and the root cause of violence problems being a lack of positive societal norms/proliferation of dogshit societal norms.

https://simpleflying.com/american-airlines-conducting-full-inspection-boeing-737-max-8-hit-bullets-colombia/

Oh, you care what a politician says now? Noted.