ESCONDIDO — After years of failed attempts and bureaucratic roadblocks, a long-running effort to secure the Medal of Honor for Korean War fighter pilot Royce Williams reached its final step this week.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump contacted retired Williams at his Escondido home to inform the retired Navy captain that he would receive the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, capping a years-long effort to recognize one of the most extraordinary aerial combat feats in U.S. military history.
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration, awarded to service members who distinguish themselves through acts of valor in combat, above and beyond the call of duty.
“I feel very fortunate and very grateful, and I’m looking forward to a visit to the White House,” Williams said in a statement to The Coast News.
In a video shared with The Coast News, Williams, 101, is shown receiving a call from the president, who phoned from the Oval Office on Feb. 3 while Williams was at his Escondido home with his caretaker. During the call, Trump told Williams he would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor and be invited to the White House for the presentation.
“I just wanted to tell Royce that he’s going to be getting a very big honor — the Congressional Medal of Honor,” Trump said. “We’re going to get him to the White House, I’m going to see him, and we’re going to put that beautiful medal over his very strong neck. It’s the ultimate honor.”
Williams responded that he felt “wonderful,” noting his age and saying he was grateful for the recognition. Trump joked that Williams “sounded younger than that” and encouraged him to bring his caretaker to the ceremony.
When Williams asked about timing, Trump said the presentation should be scheduled as quickly as possible.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Williams said.
Williams had been on standby for weeks awaiting the call after Congress cleared the final legal hurdles late last year, according to Steve Lewandowski, a former Navy officer and past commander of the San Dieguito American Legion Post 416 who led the campaign, known as Operation Just Reward, to secure the recognition.
“After all these years and hundreds of hours of effort by a lot of people — countless starts and stops — we are just so elated that Operation Just Reward is accomplishing its goal to get a great American hero the recognition he deserves,” Lewandowski said.
Williams, now 101, is being honored for his actions on Nov. 18, 1952, when he was flying a single-seat F9F Panther on combat air patrol during the Korean War and was attacked by seven Soviet MiG-15 fighters near the Yalu River.
Outnumbered and flying what was considered an inferior aircraft, Williams fought for more than 35 minutes, shooting down four MiGs and likely damaging others before escaping and landing his heavily damaged jet aboard the USS Oriskany.
His aircraft was later found to have more than 250 bullet holes and damage from a 37-millimeter shell.
The dogfight — believed to be the longest between a lone American pilot and enemy fighters — remained classified for decades largely due to the Cold War and the Soviet Union’s unofficial involvement in the conflict. Williams was ordered not to discuss the encounter, and the full account was not publicly acknowledged until after the release of Soviet archives in the 1990s.
Williams was originally awarded a Silver Star for the mission, which was upgraded to the Navy Cross in 2023 following a review by then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. The Navy Cross is the service’s second-highest decoration for valor in combat.
The push for the Medal of Honor required congressional action to waive a statutory time limit and authorize the president to make the award. That language was included in the National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress in December 2025 after years of unsuccessful attempts, Lewandowski said.
“After all these years and hundreds of hours of effort by so many people — with countless starts and stops — we are elated that Operation Just Reward is accomplishing its goal of giving this great American hero the recognition he deserves,” Lewandowski told The Coast News.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, who sponsored the House legislation, has said Williams’ heroism warranted the nation’s highest honor.
“What Royce did is — still to this day — the most unique U.S.-Soviet aerial combat dogfight in the history of the Cold War, and one in which Royce Williams demonstrated indomitable courage of the highest skill under incalculable duress,” Issa said in a December 2025 statement. “It is my honor to have fought all these years for Royce to gain a recognition that he has not sought, but so richly deserves.”
A White House ceremony is expected about three weeks after the presidential notification, Lewandowski said. First authorized during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor is presented by the president in the name of Congress and is awarded sparingly, often decades after the actions occurred, following an extensive review process.
Williams retired from the Navy as a captain in the 1970s. In addition to the Navy Cross, his decorations include two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
