President Trump is expected to award a Medal of Honor during tonight’s State of the Union address to a 100-year-old Korean War veteran.
Veteran fighter pilot E. Royce Williams, a retired Navy captain, shot down four Soviet MiG-15 jets in a classified 1952 operation that remained hidden from the American public for decades, per CBS News.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) celebrated the report, noting that he and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) had “passed a law to waive the time limits so that Captain Williams could receive the Medal of Honor he deserves.”
“The dogfight lasted 35 minutes — an eternity for a fighter pilot — and by the end his plane was out of ammunition and badly damaged, and he barely managed to make it back to the aircraft carrier,” Kelly explained.
The senator argued that Williams’ secret mission “still stands out as one of the most exceptional and brave feats of naval aviation in our history.”
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The fighter pilot’s exploits were kept under wraps for decades – even his wife was unaware – to avoid escalating tensions with the Soviet Union.
Williams’ mission required him to hit targets on the ground in North Korea – close to the country’s border with North Korea and in blizzard conditions — from his F9F-5 Panther fighter aircraft, according to a Pentagon account.
Within minutes of Williams arriving at his destination, the Soviets scrambled seven MiG-15 fighters tasked with shooting down his plane.
“Our combat information center notified us that there were inbound bogeys,” said Williams recalled back in 2018. “I spotted seven contrails coming from the north, and identified them as MiGs.”
“They dropped back in and started shooting,” said Williams. “Since they started the fight, I shot back.”
“I could see the bullets coming over me, and under me.”
Trump reportedly called Williams earlier this month to inform him of the honor, according to CBS News.
The White House has not publicly commented on the expected honor.
