Retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams, who shot down four Russian MiGs in 1952, will be presented the nation’s highest military honor in a ceremony at the White House.
President Trump will present the Medal of Honor to retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams for his extraordinary actions when he shot down four Russian MIGs during a 35-minute dogfight in 1952. An American Legion Magazine story in November 2017 first reported Williams’ heroics after he was sworn to secrecy and did not tell anyone for a half century.
“Wonderful, as you know I am more than 100 years old, all 100-plus is excited,” Williams told the president during the congratulatory phone call on Feb. 3. “The event that is being celebrated is long ago. I am so pleased. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Williams plans to attend the White House ceremony, though the date is still pending.
The FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) cleared the way for the president to award the Medal of Honor to Williams, a member of American Legion Post 416 in Encinitas, Calif. Specifically, language in the NDAA removed time limits that previously prevented Williams from receiving the honor.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams and three other Navy pilots encountered seven Russian MiGs. Williams, flying an F9F-5 Panther, shot down four MiG-15s in 35 minutes, a feat never achieved previously or since. Most dogfights last about five minutes. “It was an eternity,” Williams said in the 2017 interview.
He was uninjured except for minor cuts around his neck where the gasket from his flight suit rubbed against his skin. His plane, however, bore the scars. A shipmate used a grease pencil to circle the perforations – all 263 of them. The plane was in such poor shape that the crew pushed it overboard to its final resting place.
His commanding officers swore him to secrecy, fearing the incident may lead to a major war. Russia declassified the information a decade ago, paving the way for Williams to talk openly about it — more than a half-century later.
The American Legion passed a resolution in 2017, calling for Williams to receive the medal. Steve Lewandowski, also a member of Post 416, was among those leading the fight for Williams.
“With the call from the president making this official, everyone with ‘Operation Just Reward,’ who put in hundreds of hours and endured multiple setbacks over the years, is now ecstatic that Royce will finally get his just reward,” he said. “Everyone was so committed to the cause and realizing this goal. We are so delighted that this will happen during Royce’s lifetime.”
- Honor & Remembrance