Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Royce Williams received the Navy Cross for his actions during the Korean War, on Jan. 20, 2023. Legislation to allow Williams to be eligible to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor was included in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. ( T. Logan Keown/U.S. Navy)
A 100-year-old Korean War veteran involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Russian fighter planes more than 70 years ago would be eligible for the Medal of Honor upon the passage of a new defense spending bill expected to be voted on later this week.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, finalized on Sunday, includes legislation that removes a five-year statute of limitations rule so that Royce Williams, whose exploits as a Navy pilot are now part of military lore, can be considered for the nation’s highest award for courage under fire.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams was piloting an F9F-5 Panther when he encountered seven Soviet MiG-15s. Williams, a lieutenant at the time, shot down four of the fighters and survived a 37-millimeter round to his fuselage. Though his plane was badly damaged, he managed to make a safe landing on the deck of the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier off the North Korean coast.
After the mission, he was directed to keep silent about the high stakes dogfight that pitted him against Soviet aviators at the peak of the Cold War.
“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job … I was only shooting what I had,” Williams said in an earlier Navy account of the dogfight. “They had me cold on maneuverability and acceleration — the MiG was vastly superior on those counts to the F9F. The only thing I could do was out-turn them.”
Williams battled the Russian pilots for 35 minutes, making the encounter the longest dogfight in U.S. military history, according to the Navy.
For more than 50 years, Williams kept quiet about the mission, which was detailed in Soviet records in 1992 after the communist country’s collapse. Williams was initially awarded the Silver Star, and that was elevated to the Navy Cross in 2023. His supporters have continued to press for higher recognition.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., has been among the people spearheading the effort to award Williams the Medal of Honor.
“The heroism and valor he demonstrated … in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew,” Issa said in a statement Monday. “His story is one for the ages and it now has its rightful chapter as Royce receives the Medal of Honor.”
Issa said the against-the-odds clash between Williams and the seven Soviet pilots is the “the most unique U.S.-Soviet aerial combat dogfight in the history of the Cold War.”
President Donald Trump has the final say on whether to award Williams the nation’s highest military honor.
