Nov 9, 2026 · 2h 2m
Royce Williams recounts a classified dogfight and delayed Medal of Honor
#355 Captain Royce Williams - 100-Year-Old WWII Veteran & Medal of Honor Recipient
Williams’s story connects battlefield survival, decades of secrecy, and a late correction to the historical record.
- 1Williams describes surviving a 35-minute fight against Soviet-flown MiG-15s before landing a severely damaged Panther.
- 2The mission was misreported and remained classified for decades, delaying recognition until Soviet records clarified its outcome.
- 3His later career spanned Vietnam command, POW-family support, and a policy change expanding naval flight officers’ leadership opportunities.
Don't miss
Williams describes landing his Panther at high speed after a 37mm hit destroyed its hydraulics and rudder control.
The brief
At 100, Royce Williams looks back on a 37-year Navy career shaped by World War II, Korea, Vietnam, family, faith, and a combat mission hidden from public view.
On November 18, 1952, Williams’s Panther flight encountered Soviet-flown MiG-15s near the Korean-Soviet border, turning a routine combat patrol into a 35-minute fight.
After his ammunition ran out and a 37mm hit destroyed his hydraulics and rudder control, Williams escaped into the clouds and made an improvised high-speed carrier landing.
The mission was initially credited inaccurately and stayed classified for decades; later Soviet records indicated that only one MiG returned, helping reopen Williams’s case.
Williams also recounts commanding USS Kitty Hawk’s air wing, supporting POW families, and helping change Navy policy so qualified naval flight officers could reach senior command.
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