Trump plans to honor 100-year-old veteran during State of the Union, sources say

By James LaPorta, Jennifer Jacobs

Updated on: February 24, 2026 / 12:06 PM EST / CBS News

President Trump is planning to honor a 100-year-old veteran Tuesday night by awarding E. Royce Williams the Medal of Honor for his actions in a secret mission during the Korean War, sources with knowledge of the matter told CBS News.

This would mark the first time that a president has awarded the medal, the U.S. military's highest honor for valor in combat, during a State of the Union address.

White House spokespeople didn't respond to requests for comment. The plan, which has not previously been reported, could change.

Williams, a retired Navy captain, was part of the longest aerial engagement in U.S. Navy history when he fought seven Soviet MiG fighter jets, shooting down four, during a half-hour dogfight in 1952.

Soviet involvement was top secret at the time, so the records of the event were classified for decades. At the height of the Korean War, Williams and another American pilot were flying off the coast of the Korean Peninsula when they encountered seven Soviet miG-15 fighter jets. The Soviet aircraft opened fire, he would later recall: "Since they started the fight, he said, "I shot back."

Williams struck one of the MiGs, and his fellow American pilot pursued it. Then, flying alone, he engaged the remaining aircraft, downing three more Soviet planes while maneuvering through what military accounts later described as hundreds of rounds of incoming fire. In recent years, the U.S. military has published detailed descriptions of the encounter, portraying it as one of the most intense aerial engagements of the war.

"In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job," Williams told news outlet Task & Purpose in a 2022 interview. "I was only shooting what I had."

After his aircraft was struck, Williams turned back toward an American aircraft carrier, guiding the damaged plane in for a landing at high speed. He later said he had considered ejecting but concluded that the frigid conditions over the water made such a decision perilous.

Williams has said that he was instructed to keep the airborne clash a secret — a rare and politically fraught confrontation between American and Soviet forces at a moment when the two Cold War adversaries were intent on avoiding open war. For decades, he spoke of it to no one, not even his wife.

Details of the operations surfaced only years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, as archival records and military histories were made public. Three years ago, Williams was awarded the Navy Cross, the highest combat award that can be given to a service member of either the Navy or Marine Corps for valor in combat.

Republican Rep. Darell Issa of California, whose San Diego-area district includes Williams home, pressed for the retired Navy pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to bestow the decoration, waiving the longstanding requirement that it be awarded within five years of the act of valor.

"The heroism and valor he demonstrated for more than 35 harrowing minutes almost 70 years ago in the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew," Issa wrote in a statement earlier this month.

Mr. Trump called Williams earlier this month.

The timing of the medal presentation is notable as Mr. Trump is set to award the Medal of Honor to a veteran recognized for killing Russian pilots decades ago, on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine four years ago —a conflict now shadowed by negotiations in which Kyiv has faced pressure to consider ceding territory seized by Moscow.

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On December 22, the Wall Street Journal published an article about retired Navy Captain Royce Willams who will soon receive the Medal of Honor:

"Buried in a recent 3,000-page defense policy bill is good news that won’t receive enough attention. The legislation would allow a living legend of naval aviation to receive the nation’s highest military honor. A Defense Department video called 100-year-old Royce Williams the “forgotten fighter ace of the Korean war.” His valor is worth remembering on its merits, and the history is instructive about the threats now facing the U.S. President Trump should move quickly to award Capt. Williams the medal of honor."

Task & Purpose published the following article that provides background about the actions leading to the final decision to award Captain Williams the Medal of Honor:

Nicholas Slayton

Published Dec 8, 2025 3:52 PM EST

Legendary Navy aviator Royce Williams, who shot down four Soviet MiG-15 fighters in 1952, is the inspiration for legislation that would make it easier for troops and veterans to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Photos via the U.S. Naval Institute and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

More than 70 years after he took part in the longest dogfight in Navy history, scoring four aerial victories, Royce Williams might finally get the Medal of Honor.

Over the weekend, Congress released the text for the compromise National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill outlining spending plans and goals. This year, it is a record $901 billion. Nestled into the large defense appropriations bill is Sec. 591, which would upgrade Williams’ Navy Cross to the Medal of Honor for “acts of valor during the Korean War.”

Those acts involve taking on seven Soviet MiG-15s in a 35-minute dogfight almost singlehandedly, in a battle that was kept under wraps for years despite Williams’ achievements.

On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams — then a Navy lieutenant flying in his Grumman F9F-5 Panther for his second mission that day — was with three other aviators over the Sea of Japan when seven Soviet Air Force fighter planes emerged. Two of the American planes had to return to their ships due to mechanical issues, leaving just Williams and his wingman in the skies as the Soviets closed in. As they flew by, Williams let out a burst of his F9F’s guns, scoring a hit. One MiG went down, with Williams’ wingman breaking off to chase it. Royce Williams was now alone, against six Soviet pilots in jets that were more advanced than his.

Over the course of 35 minutes, Williams banked and weaved his Panther, trying to avoid getting in the MiGs’ sights. He quickly downed a second Soviet jet, and kept using his maneuverability to line up passing shots with his limited ammo. He took out a third. Then he heavily damaged another that was eventually lost.

“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job,” Williams told Task & Purpose in 2022. “I was only shooting what I had.”

Eventually, he ran out of ammunition and was forced to break off. He flew back to the Navy task force — which fired on him at first, mistaking him for the many more Soviet planes that had outnumbered him — and managed to land. After-action inspections found 263 bullet holes in his Panther. Somehow, Williams and the plane survived.

For his actions in the wild dogfight that day, Williams was awarded a Silver Star. But his actions were covered up — and his official victories listed as downing one enemy plane and damaging another — over fears it could heighten U.S.-Soviet tensions. So for the rest of his career, which included actions in Vietnam and commanding a ship, his record stayed that way, the truth kept hidden. It was only in the 21st century that retired Capt. Williams’ story came out.

For more than a decade, there has been a push to get Williams the Medal of Honor, with backers including retired Rear Adm. Doniphan Shelton and members of Congress. Three years ago, in December 2022, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro upgraded his Silver Star to a Navy Cross, saying that Williams “clearly distinguished himself during a high-risk mission and deserve[s] proper recognition.” Williams received the award in January 2023.

The text in this year’s defense spending bill would authorize awarding Williams, who is now 100, the Medal of Honor and waive any time limitations on presenting him with the award.

Voting on the bill is expected this month.