Royce Williams may get MoH
Capt Royce Williams
This coming year’s National Defense Authorization Act has an authorization within it to upgrade Royce Williams’ Navy Cross to the MoH for his one-man battle with several Soviet MiGs during the Korean War. I wrote about him, back here. Since that original article, his Silver Star has been upgraded to a Navy Cross.
Were Captain Williams to receive the Medal of Honor, he’d be the only living recipient from the war. Colonel Ralph Puckett was the sole living MoH recipient from the conflict when he died in 2024. Williams is currently 100 years old, so time is not on his side. If Congress doesn’t vote this out of the NDAA, Hegseth and Trump should make haste to hang the blue silk ribbon around his neck before it’s too late.
From Task & Purpose;
More than 70 years after he took part in the longest dogfight in Navy history, scoring four aerial victories, Royce Williams might finally get the Medal of Honor.
Over the weekend, Congress released the text for the compromise National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill outlining spending plans and goals. This year, it is a record $901 billion. Nestled into the large defense appropriations bill is Sec. 591, which would upgrade Williams’ Navy Cross to the Medal of Honor for “acts of valor during the Korean War.”
Those acts involve taking on seven Soviet MiG-15s in a 35-minute dogfight almost singlehandedly, in a battle that was kept under wraps for years despite Williams’ achievements.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams — then a Navy lieutenant flying in his Grumman F9F-5 Panther for his second mission that day — was with three other aviators over the Sea of Japan when seven Soviet Air Force fighter planes emerged. Two of the American planes had to return to their ships due to mechanical issues, leaving just Williams and his wingman in the skies as the Soviets closed in. As they flew by, Williams let out a burst of his F9F’s guns, scoring a hit. One MiG went down, with Williams’ wingman breaking off to chase it. Royce Williams was now alone, against six Soviet pilots in jets that were more advanced than his.
Over the course of 35 minutes, Williams banked and weaved his Panther, trying to avoid getting in the MiGs’ sights. He quickly downed a second Soviet jet, and kept using his maneuverability to line up passing shots with his limited ammo. He took out a third. Then he heavily damaged another that was eventually lost.
“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job,” Williams told Task & Purpose in 2022. “I was only shooting what I had.”
Eventually, he ran out of ammunition and was forced to break off. He flew back to the Navy task force — which fired on him at first, mistaking him for the many more Soviet planes that had outnumbered him — and managed to land. After-action inspections found 263 bullet holes in his Panther. Somehow, Williams and the plane survived.
For his actions in the wild dogfight that day, Williams was awarded a Silver Star. But his actions were covered up — and his official victories listed as downing one enemy plane and damaging another — over fears it could heighten U.S.-Soviet tensions. So for the rest of his career, which included actions in Vietnam and commanding a ship, his record stayed that way, the truth kept hidden. It was only in the 21st century that retired Capt. Williams’ story came out.
For more than a decade, there has been a push to get Williams the Medal of Honor, with backers including retired Rear Adm. Doniphan Shelton and members of Congress. Three years ago, in December 2022, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro upgraded his Silver Star to a Navy Cross, saying that Williams “clearly distinguished himself during a high-risk mission and deserve[s] proper recognition.” Williams received the award in January 2023.
The text in this year’s defense spending bill would authorize awarding Williams, who is now 100, the Medal of Honor and waive any time limitations on presenting him with the award.
Voting on the bill is expected this month.
Even if it passes into law with the NDAA, these things tend to move slowly. We here wrote about the case for Alwyn Cashe’s MoH for several years before that finally happened.
Even if the DoD (DoW?) is authorized to award the MoH, they might not move on that authorization. Such allowances have been made in the past, and not all of them ultimately end with the award being made. All Congress can do is waive the time limitation. DoD policy and the whims of the powers that be can still decide that the MoH isn’t warranted.
In the text of this year’s NDAA there are authorizations for the Medal of Honor to be awarded to five men. These include USAF Colonel Philip Conran, who is a personal hero of mine. The others are Marine Major James Capers (the literal poster child for the Corps), US Army CWO5 Gregory McManus, and Army Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Griffin.
Category: Historical, Korea, Navy, Valor, We Remember
