Eric A. Slover is a United States Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during Operation Absolute Resolve. During the operation, Slover was a MH-47 Chinook pilot in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), colloquially known as the Night Stalkers. Slover is the first and only CW5 in history to receive the Medal of Honor.
Slover enlisted in the Army in 2005. After completing basic training, he attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and flight school, becoming a Chinook helicopter pilot.
While assisting in a medical evacuation in Badghis Province in November 2009 with the 82nd Airborne Division, a helicopter Slover was piloting was pierced by a rocket-propelled grenade. The munition failed to explode and remained in the helicopter for the duration of the flight. After landing, Slover was the first off the Chinook to get explosives experts and help for the wounded. This medical evacuation mission was described in 2009 as one of the "biggest of the Afghan War".
During the American raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Slover was the flight lead in the cockpit of the first helicopter, a MH-47 Chinook. The helicopter came under severe machine-gun fire and Slover was hit four times in his leg and hip. Maintaining control of the aircraft despite his wounds, Slover safely landed the helicopter, allowing the operation to continue. Slover was awarded the Medal of Honor by US President Donald Trump at the 2026 State of the Union Address. Slover was one of two men to receive the Medal of Honor during the address, alongside the 100-year-old US Navy Captain E. Royce Williams, a Korean War veteran. This was the first time the Medal of Honor was awarded at a State of the Union Address.
Slover is a graduate of the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies at Norwich University located in Northfield, Vermont. His wife, Amy, blessed his dog tags with holy water before the mission that resulted in his Medal of Honor-winning actions.