
President Donald Trump briefly broke through the deep animosity in Congress when he invoked the heroism of fallen Navy SEAL Ryan Owens, and his grieving widow looked toward the heavens.

Trump brought up Owens, who died in a firefight in Yemen, after saying 'none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.'

Lawmakers from both parties stood and clapped for more than a minute during the emotional moment.

'We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William 'Ryan' Owens,' Trump said.

'Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero - battling against terrorism and securing our Nation,' Trump said.

Carryn Owens, the widow of fallen Navy Seal Ryan Owens, wept as she rose to her feet while the president eulogized her husband during his congressional address. She was a guest of the president along with her parents (from left) Jerry and Carrie Weigand, and had a seat next to Ivanka Trump

Tears in heaven: Ms Owens looked to the sky as the president praised her husband, the SEAL operator who died in a raid ordered by the president on al Qaeda in Yemen

On their feet: President Trump turned to applaud Carryn Owens and was joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul Ryan

As lawmakers stood to clap for Carryn Ownens, who wore black, she remained seated.

Ivanka Trump, seated beside her, reached over to pat her shoulder. The two had previously met when the first daughter attended the repatriation of Chief Owens' body with her father at Dover Base in Delaware.

'Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity,' Trump said.

True American hero: Chief Owens was remembered by the president for his sacrifice. 'Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero –- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.'

'For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom –- we will never forget Ryan.

As Trump hailed Owens, his widow stood and clasped her hands, looking toward the ceiling of the ornate chamber where lawmakers of both parties gathered to hear the controversial president.

She took deep breaths to compose herself as the applause continued.

When it was done, Trump lightened the mood. 'I think he's very happy now because I think he just broke a record,' Trump said, in reference to the applause.

Trump also took the opportunity to once again declare the raid a 'success,' although the military has yet to reveal information that it might have recovered and it reportedly failed to capture an intended top Yemeni Al Qaeda terror target.

'I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, 'Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies,' Trump said.

Senator John McCain, himself a Navy veteran, challenged Trump on that assessment earlier this month, noting the loss of a SEAL and of a multimillion dollar aircraft.

The eight-year-old daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki also got killed - she too was an American citizen, because of her father, the notorious American-born preacher of hate being one.

All eyes on her: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were transfixed by the widow as she looked toward the sky in tribute to her husband

Ovation: As the applause for her and her husband's memory went on, Carryn Owens rose to her feet and applauded too

Tearful: Owens couldn't break her sobs as Ivanka smiled to hear her father declare the standing ovation 'record breaking'

Big moment: Owens was one of several special guests invited to the address by the First Family but her recognition was most prominent

Emotion: Carryn Owens' tears ran freely as Congress, led by the president, saluted the sacrifice he made

Bravery: 'We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William 'Ryan' Owens,' the president said

Emotional: Carryn Owns wiped away tears as the lengthy ovation for her and the memory of her husband went on

Ryan Owens' father, Bill, declined to meet with Trump during the dignified transfer of his son's remains at Dover Air Force Base.

'I'm sorry, I don't want to see him,' Owens said he proclaimed when he learned Trump was attending the ceremony.

Trump earlier told Fox News, again quoting Mattis, that 'it was a very successful mission. They got tremendous amounts of information.'

An unnamed senior U.S. official told ABC news 'valuable' information was gained during the raid.

U.S. officials told NBC News on Monday that the raid 'has so far yielded no significant intelligence.'

Senior unnamed officials countered the Pentagon's claims that it had resulted in 'actionable intelligence' – information that could lead to the apprehension of other terrorists or new avenues to pursue.

Meeting: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tweeted this image of the president and Carryn Owens in a Congressional hallway after the speech

Operation: 'Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom - we will never forget Ryan,' the president said.

Contrast' William Owens spoke out against the president over his son's death, saying that he did not want to meet him when his son's body was brought back to the U.S. Trump said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had assured him that the raid on the Yemeni target was a success

Aftermath: The SEAL raid which led to Chief Owens' death saw a helicopter suffer a hard landing. It was destroyed by an airstrike to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

Destruction: This was the aftermath of the raid in Yakla, central Yemen, which claimed the life of Owens, a decorated SEAL

The network also reported that the only example of useful information gleaned provided by the military turned out to be an old bomb-making video that wasn't useful.

Bill Owens was even more critical.

'Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasn't even barely a week into [President Trump's] administration?' Bill Owens told the Herald. 'For two years prior ... everything was missiles and drones ...Now all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?'

The raid resulted in the wounding of six U.S. service members, the death of at least 25 civilians. Nine children under 13 years old were killed, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Among them was the eight-year old daughter of slain al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Both were U.S. citizens.

'When you lose a $75 million airplane and, more importantly, an American life is lost … I don't believe you can call it a success,' McCain told NBC News.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer responded that, 'anyone who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and [does] a disservice.'