State of the Union: Who is Royce Williams, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient?

WASHINGTON — Bipartisanship is rare in Congress, but members of both parties in the House and Senate were unanimous in their tribute to Ret. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Williams, 100, and a pilot during the Korean War, was awarded the highest U.S. military decoration during a joint session of Congress. First lady Melania Trump draped the medal around Williams’ neck as members of Congress cheered loudly.

Williams was recognized for staring down seven Soviet MiG fighter jets on Nov. 18, 1952, at the height of the Korean War, KNSD reported. He shot down four enemy planes and survived despite his aircraft taking 263 bullet holes.

The dogfight lasted 35 minutes, the longest aerial battle in the history of the U.S. Navy.

According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the Soviet jets were “superior to the F9F in almost every fashion,” KXLG reported.

“He was a legend long before this evening,” Trump said during his State of the Union address. “Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war and despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt.

“His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his wife, but the legend grew and grew. But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”

Elmer Royce Williams was born in Wilmot, South Dakota, on April 4, 1925. He currently lives in Escondido, California, according to KNSD.

According to the San Diego Air & Space Museum website, Williams’ feat was kept private for 50 years.

Since the Soviet Union was not an official combatant in the Korean War at the time, Navy officials and the National Security Agency sealed all records of the incident to prevent tensions from tightening during the Cold War.

A decade ago, the records were declassified, according to the museum. Williams, who left the Navy in 1980 as a captain, was allowed to speak publicly about the incident for the first time.

He would receive the Navy Cross, the second-highest U.S. Navy award, in 2023.

In 2016, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) called Williams “a real-life Top Gun and true American hero,” KELO reported.

Members of Congress agreed, giving Williams a standing ovation that lasted more than three minutes.

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