Medal of Honor recipient retired Capt. E. Royce Williams poses with the 29 graduates of Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation at Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on July 15, 2026. Williams, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, earned his wings of gold at NAS Pensacola in August 1945. (Austen Hunter McClain/U.S. Navy)
Retired Capt. E. Royce Williams, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, returned to his former training command at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., to congratulate 29 student naval aviators as they completed Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation training.
Williams, 101, earned his wings of gold through the same training pipeline at Naval Aviation Schools Command. Completing NIFE training marks the first milestone on the students’ path to earning their own wings, according to a service news release.
“He is the living, breathing standard, the embodiment of what it means to be a United States naval aviator,” said Capt. Ron Rumfelt, NASC commanding officer. “This is the history and heritage you join today.”
Williams enlisted in the military during World War II and earned his wings at NAS Pensacola in August 1945. He retired as a captain in 1980.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams was piloting an F9F-5 Panther when he encountered seven Soviet MiG-15s. He shot down four of the fighters. For this classified solo engagement, he received the Medal of Honor on Feb. 24, 2026. He is the only living Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War.
Medal of Honor recipient retired Capt. E. Royce Williams congratulates a Marine Corps student naval aviator during a Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation graduation ceremony at Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on July 15, 2026. (Austen Hunter McClain/U.S. Navy)
“You have to want it. The word that comes to mind is push. Be diligent,” Williams told the graduates. “Each one of you is different, but you are all trying to attain the same goal the best you can. I took every activity as a challenge.”
He told the students that approach never changed throughout a career that spanned three wars and ended with his retirement.
“It was not a game. It was business,” Williams said. “I applied myself, and the rewards were good.”
Medal of Honor recipient retired Capt. E. Royce Williams answers questions from a student naval aviator during a Naval Introductory Flight Evaluation graduation ceremony at Naval Aviation Schools Command aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on July 15, 2026. (Austen Hunter McClain/U.S. Navy)
The graduates will report to primary flight training, where they will fly the T-6B Texan II or enter the helicopter training track, according to the news release.
NASC is one of the learning centers of Naval Education and Training Command, whose mission is to train and develop future naval aviators, naval flight officers and aircrew for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard into highly skilled, operational and battle-ready Sailors and warfighters.
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