Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Royce Williams, who was involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Soviet fighter planes more than 70 years ago, will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House confirmed Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. ( T. Logan Keown/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — Korean War veteran Royce Williams, who was involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Soviet fighter planes more than 70 years ago, will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House confirmed Thursday.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., announced the news Wednesday that President Donald Trump let Williams know he would receive the nation’s highest award for courage under fire.
“My friend, constituent and hero Royce Williams is 100 years young, a Top Gun pilot like no other, and an American hero for all time,” Issa said. “The heroism and valor he demonstrated for more than 35 harrowing minutes almost 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates and crew. His story is one for the ages and it now has its rightful chapter as Royce receives the Medal of Honor.”
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 Soviet 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.
Issa was among the people spearheading the effort to award Williams the Medal of Honor.
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, finalized in December, included legislation that removes a five-year statute of limitations rule so that Williams, whose exploits as a Navy pilot are now part of military lore, can be considered for the nation’s highest honor.
“What Royce did is — still to this day — the most unique U.S.-Soviet aerial combat dogfight in the history of the Cold War, and one in which Royce Williams demonstrated indomitable courage of the highest skill under incalculable duress,” Issa said. “It is my honor to have fought all these years for Royce to gain a recognition that he has not sought, but so richly deserves.”
Stars and Stripes reporter John Vandiver contributed to this report.
