By Kevin Seabrooke

Buried deep inside the 3,000 pages of the $901-billion National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Trump on December 18 is a change in the law for the Congressional Medal of Honor that would allow it to be awarded to retired Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, who is now 100 years old. 

Readers of Military Heritage Magazine may be familiar with Williams’ exploits as a Navy pilot from an article by Mark Carlson in the Summer 2023 issue—only months after his 1952 Silver Star was upgraded to the Navy Cross, the service’s highest military decoration, which he received from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in January 2023.

Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams receives a Navy Cross for his actions during the Korean War Jan. 20, 2023.
Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams receives a Navy Cross for his actions during the Korean War Jan. 20, 2023.

Officially kept top secret for nearly 50 years, the 35-minute dogfight between Williams and seven Soviet MiG-15s off the coast of Korea in 1952 was one of the most notable events in 20th century naval aviation.

Flying his Grumman F9F-5 Panther against the dreaded Russian aircraft at a time when they were considered all-but-invincible, Williams was certain he’d shot down four, possibly five of the MiG-15s.

After landing safely back on the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany in the Sea of Japan, Williams learned that he’d been flying against Soviet pilots and that intelligence reports indicated that only one of the seven pilots had made it back to Vladivostok. 

A Soviet MiG-15 is shot down by a burst of tracer rounds from a Navy F9F Panther over Korea in November 1950. While unconfirmed, it's possible that this is one of the MiGs Williams encountered.
A Soviet MiG-15 is shot down by a burst of tracer rounds from a Navy F9F Panther over Korea in November 1952. While unconfirmed, it’s possible that this is one of the MiGs Williams encountered.

In the days following his encounter with the Russians, Williams met with much of the top brass in Korea, including President-elect Dwight Eisenhower, who impressed on him the importance of staying quiet due to the Cold War.

Williams, who never told anyone about the encounter, served in Vietnam and retired to San Diego, California, after 33 years in the Navy.  

Rep. Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) has taken up Williams’ cause and was responsible for him receiving the Navy Cross in 2023. Issa also introduced and saw passed the “Valor Has No Expiration Act,” which removed the five-year time limit for Medal of Honor consideration, allowing for recognition of valor from past, classified conflicts.

You can read the story of Captain Williams’ fight with the Soviet MiGs here.