Flexible Work
AARP Skills Builder
Flexible Work
ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
Drug Prices
Social Security
Medicare & Medicaid
Caregiving
LONG-TERM CARE
State Guides
Prepare to Care Guides
End of Life
Home Technology
Get Happier
POSSIBILITIES OF AI
Relationships
Home Health
Leaving AARP.org Website
You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
BrandAmp by AARP provides the opportunity for our highly vetted marketing partners to share their expert knowledge, insights and storytelling with loyal and engaged readers like you. Each piece of paid content is created in collaboration with the disclosed advertiser and AARP Media Sales’ content development team.
BrandAmp by AARP content is designed to uphold AARP standards of excellence and inspire conversation. Only advertisers who have gone through the strictest reviews are cleared to bring their message directly to members using all of AARP media properties (AARP.org, social media, email newsletters and our print publications). Our pledge to members is work with brands whose products and services are of value to the 50+ audience; and are committed to the type of compelling, informative, entertaining and useful content members are accustomed to seeing within AARP media properties.
You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.
On Tuesday night, during the State of the Union address, retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, 100, finally received the Medal of Honor for his actions as a Korean War fighter pilot, marking the first time a president presented the nation’s highest military honor during the annual address to Congress.
Although it’s been more than 73 years since Williams fought one of the most consequential air battles in U.S. military history, his heroic actions over the Sea of Japan remained classified, a secret he had to hold for decades. Now the full account is part of the historical record, and the South Dakota native’s courage has been brought into the open and recognized on the national stage.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams launched from the USS Oriskany in an F9F-5 Panther and ran into seven Soviet MiG-15s.
His flight leader turned back with a fuel pump issue. Then, his wingman peeled away chasing a falling aircraft, leaving Williams alone.
What followed was a seven-on-one fight that lasted 35 minutes, the longest aerial battle in U.S. military history.
Flying what was widely considered an inferior aircraft, Williams shot down four MiG-15s. No other American fighter pilot has ever downed four MiG-15s in a single engagement.
Near the end of the dogfight, with Williams running low on ammunition, a 37-millimeter round tore through his fuselage. Had it struck six inches to the right or left, it would have killed him. Despite the extensive damage to his aircraft, he made a near-perfect landing back on the deck of the Oriskany.
Then he was told to keep quiet.
The Soviet Union was not an official combatant in the Korean War, and for decades, with Cold War tensions high, the Navy kept details of Williams’ encounter with Soviet pilots classified. After it was finally declassified in 2016, supporters of Williams campaigned to upgrade his wartime recognition, resulting in the Silver Star he received in 1953 being elevated to a Navy Cross.
For half a century, one of the most consequential air battles in American history lived in silence — locked in classified files and carried only in the memory of the pilot who flew it — until it was finally brought into the open and recognized on the national stage.
Williams retired from the Navy in 1980 and today lives in San Diego, California. In addition to the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross, he is a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
More From AARP
How Vince Patton Reached the Coast Guard’s Top
Boot‑camp goal, Cold War rescue kicked off rise to the Coast Guard’s highest enlisted post
VA to Reorganize Health System in 2026
Faster referrals and longer approvals under community care
She Lost Her Arm in Iraq, Then Rebuilt
Danielle Green empowers veterans after her injury