Profiles of Valor: The Warrior Scholar

On the evening of January 2, 2026, Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric A. Slover, a helicopter pilot of the 160th SOAR "Night Stalkers" of Fort Bragg, N.C., prepares to depart on a dangerous mission once again. As he prepares himself for the mission, his mind wanders as he recalls an earlier dangerous mission during his Army career, a mission that almost took his life and the lives of his crew.

It is November 4th, 2009, in Kandahar, Afganistan, and two paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C. have gone missing. Kandahar is the founding city and spiritual center of the Taliban, a city of some 700,000+ residents, and is located on a plain some 3,300 foot above sea level, located between two rivers; the Arghandab and the Tarnak. In addition, four Afghan soldiers, three Afghan police officers, along with an intepreter, were killed. Another 22 men were wounded, including the five Americans. 

The two paratroopers had gone missing at a nearby river during a resupply mission, and a massive U.S.-Afghan manhunt was launched to find them. At the same time, a unit of the U.S. Special Forces called for help to evacuate the five wounded U.S. soldiers, and the 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) launched a Chinook helicopter, call sign "Flipper 76", to make the evacuation. At that time the landing zone was not under attack.

The crew of "Flipper 76" stands in front of a Chinook CH-47F, similar to their own, at Kandahar Airfield Thursday, November 12, 2009. From left, CW3 James Woolley, Sgt. Roger Rathbun, and CW2 Eric Slover.

As Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Woolley eased the giant Chinook "Flipper 76" down into the mud-walled compound, Special Forces on the ground rushed in and formed a perimeter to protect the helicopter, a major prize target for the Taliban. Seconds after Flipper 76 touched down, creating a cloud of khaki-colored dust in the air, an attack began. The body of one of the missing soldiers had been found, but the other one was still missing. The crew of "Flipper 76" didn't know any of that when the medevac call came in around 4:30 pm, just as the crew had finished dropping of troops and supplies at a nearby U.S. base.

CWO 3 James Woolley of Sanford, N.C., and the other pilot, CWO 2 Eric Slover, of Hope Mills, N.C., noticed a puff of smoke some 175 yards away up a slope. Their chopper immediately lurched, similar to a car being hit by another car. As a medic began rushing the wounded men up the rear ramp and into the helicopter, unbeknown to the crew, they now had a live rocket-propelled grenade aboard the helicopter - a weapon capable of disabling an armored vehicle!

The RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) had punched through the nose of the chopper, zipped between Woolley and Slover, down a short passageway, striking door gunner Sgt. Roger Rathbun in the back of his head. The impact ripped away a palm-sized chuck of his flight helmet, the propellent from the RPG scorched his neck, and was deflected up into the ceiling of the cargo area. Rathbun was spun halfway around as he was knocked to the floor. 

Chinook pilots normally can't hear much of what is going on around them, but after years of flying helicopters they develop the ability to hear any unusual sounds, like the "tink" of small arms fire hitting the fuselage. But this hard slap and shudder was new to the crew, and Slover uttered "What the ---- was that?" Woolley saw the damage to the nose of the helicopter and immediately guessed that they had been hit by an RPG, the same weapon that downed the helicopters in the famous Black Hawk Down battle. 

They made the decision to stick it out, even though small arms fire was engaging them. It helped, though, that the Special Forces guys returned fire. All the while the ramp gunner was continuing to load casualties, and he said 'Ah, they're shooting at us sir, there's rounds popping." Woolley told him "I can see them, but just stick it out, and get these wounded guys on."

The crew were not sure the helicopter could fly, but their luck held, and they were able to return to the nearby base and land inside of it. Woolley wanted to know where the exit hole from the RPG was, and whether the RPG had hit anything vital. The crew didn't find any hole, and a few minutes later located the RPG sitting on the floor between a flight helmet and a set of goggles. Woolley shut the helicopter down while Slover dashed off to find an explosives expert to take care of the RPG.

Operation Absolute Resolve

As CWO5 Slover finished reminscing about his experience in Kandahar, his mind snapped back, and now he focused on the job at hand. He was on the deck of the USS Iwo Jima in the dark of night, somewhere off the coast of Venezuela, preparing his MH-47G Chinook helicopter for departure. His task this night was to transport Delta Force Operators and an FBI HRT (Hostage Rescue Team), and to lead the rest of the 160th SOAR helicopters to their destination. 

A diagram of the Boeing MH-70G Chinook helicopter and it's configuration and equipment.

Specifications:

• Crew: 2 pilots plus 3 crew chiefs/gunners;
• Length: 98.8 feet;
• Rotorspan: 60 feet;
• Height: 18.7 feet;
• Range: 460 miles;
• Speed: 196 mph;
• Service ceiling: 18,501 feet;
• Max takeoff weight: 50,001 pounds;
• Powerplant: 2 x Lycoming T55-GA-712 turboprop engines delivering 1,398 kW each;
• Armament:
  • 4 gun stations (port side, starboard side, front and rear;
  • 2x M134 7.62mm miniguns;
  • 2x M240D 7.62mm machine guns.

Operation Absolute Resolve was a very significant U.S. military operation which involved extesive planning, including a CIA clandestine team that had been gathering information on Maduro's movements for several months. CWO 5 Eric Slover was not only a planner for the operation, but he was the flight lead for the helicopter part of the mission, assigned to pilot the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter into the target zone under the cover of darkness.

The ship that took Maduro reappears in Puerto Rico.

CWO5 Slover was born on May 12, 1980, in the United States. While little is publicly known about his youth, we do know that Eric Slover is a graduate of the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies at Norwich University, located in Northfield, Vermont. Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military colleges, and is recognized by the United States Department of Defense as the "Birthplace of ROTC."

Over Slover's career in the United States Army Aviation, and his selection to the 160th SOAR unit, Slover's rank as a Chief Warrant Officer five, a senior warrant officer rank, reflects his decades of dedicated service and his advanced technical expertise. His role as a helicopter pilot in an elite group places him in a small group of service members trained for the most complex and dangerous missions in the U.S. Army. It has been determined that as a pilot with the 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne) - also known as the "Night Stalkers," - he serves in a unit renowned for executing high-risk night insertions and extractions.

On January 3, 2026 at 01:01am operations began with airstrikes to suppress air defenses around and near President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. at 02:01am Slover and his helicopters arrive at Maduro's compound. By 04:29 am the operation is finished with Maduro and Flores captured.

As lead helicopter, CWO 5 Slover led the helicopter force through a dense forest jungle valley at 100 feet, navigating through marginal weather, topographical hazards, and numerous surface-to-air threats. Upon touching down at the designated LZ (landing zone), Slover immediately encountered heavy hostile maching gun fire at close range. The hostile fire resulted in 15 armor-piercing rounds striking the cockpit, and four of those rounds struck his leg. Despite the severity of the wounds, Slover maintained control of his helicopter, completed the insertion, and then safely exfiltrated his crew and the Delta Force and FBI operators. 

Despite his wounds Slover never abandoned the mission, did not relinquish control of his aircraft, and manuevered the helicopter completing the insertion sequence. Slover knew that his duty was mission-critical, and that the success of the operation and the safety of his fellow soldiers hinged on his determination to keep flying. Clearly he understood that he had to be willing to subordinate his personal safety to mission objectives and the lives of others.

According to U.S. officals, the Delta Force unit was able to breach the building, eliminate Maduro's security, and reach their target (Maduro) in under three minutes. When the raid was over, an unknown number of Venezuelan soldiers were dead, as well as an additional 32 Cuban soldiers, believed to be a part of Maduro's security detail. Within five minutes of the Delta force hitting the ground, they radioed that they had secured Maduro and his wife, and that they were awaiting extraction. By 3:29 am in Caracas, the team - and their prisoners - were already over the water making their way back to the USS Iwo Jima.

On February 25, 2026, at President Donald J. Trump's State of the Union address, CWO 5 Eric Slover, using a walker, rose in the balcony as he received the Medal of Honor for gallantry above and beyond the call of duty.

CWO 5 Eric Slover, with his wife Amy beside him, receives the Medal of Honor during President Trump's State of the Union speech onf 2-25-26.

Medal of Honor Citation

"Chief Warrant Officer Five Eric A. Slover distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, above and beyond the call of duty, on January 3, 2026, during a mission in Venezuela, in support of Operation Absolute Resolve. Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover piloted his MH-47 as the lead aircraft of the operation, tasked with executing a highly complex infiltration through hostile Integrated Air Defense Systems to safely deliver military forces. During ingress, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover skillfully led the helicopter force through a dense jungle valley in a mountainous region, navigating marginal weather conditions, numerous topographical hazards, and near insurmountable surface to air threats. Upon touching down at the designated landing zone, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover’s aircraft was immediately engaged by multiple machine gun positions at close range. The hostile fire resulted in 15 armor-piercing rounds entering his cockpit, with four rounds striking his leg. Despite the intense and effective enemy fire, and at great personal risk, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover maintained his situational awareness and aircraft’s position in the line of fire to ensure the safe infiltration of the military forces. After the force disembarked, and despite suffering significant life-threatening injuries, Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover identified hostile heavy machine gun positions that were engaging his aircraft and targeting the ground forces. He maneuvered his aircraft to enable his door gunner to deliver effective fire, successfully neutralizing the threats. Chief Warrant Officer Five Slover’s heroic actions undoubtedly saved countless American lives and ensured the complete and overwhelming success of the mission. His gallantry under fire and extraordinary valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army."

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed story, please share it with all of your friends. And, if you are new to this blog, sign up to receive your own weekly blog post here: Subscribe here!

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!