100 Year Old Korean War Veteran Being Considered for the Medal of Honor

This is an interesting story from the Korean War I had not heard about before that may lead to the awarding of a Medal of Honor:

A 100-year-old Korean War veteran involved in a secretive dogfight with seven Russian fighter planes more than 70 years ago would be eligible for the Medal of Honor upon the passage of a new defense spending bill expected to be voted on later this week. The National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, finalized on Sunday, includes legislation that removes a five-year statute of limitations rule so that Royce Williams, whose exploits as a Navy pilot are now part of military lore, can be considered for the nation’s highest award for courage under fire.

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 Russian pilots for 35 minutes, making the encounter the longest dogfight in U.S. military history, according to the Navy.

Stars & Stripes

You can read more at the link.