President Donald Trump awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, to E. Royce Williams, a Korean War veteran turning 100 this year, during his first State of the Union address of his second term.
According to CBS on the 24th (local time), Trump said, "A brave Navy captain who is 100 years old is finally receiving the honor he deserves tonight—he has been a legend for a long time." First Lady Melania Trump placed the medal around his neck. This marks the first time a U.S. president has awarded the military's highest honor during a State of the Union address.
In 1952, at the height of the Korean War, Williams engaged seven Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets for 30 minutes over Korean waters, downing four of them. The engagement remains the longest aerial dogfight in U.S. Navy history.
Soviet involvement in the Korean War was classified top secret at the time. Williams was ordered to keep the aerial combat confidential. He told no one—not even his wife. Details of the Korean War dogfight emerged only after the Soviet Union collapsed.
Williams received the Navy Cross, the highest honor awarded to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, in 2022. Representative Darrell Issa (R), whose district includes San Diego, California, where Williams resides, championed the medal nomination.
Trump informed Williams earlier this month of his plan to award the medal. CBS noted, "It is notable that President Trump awarded a medal for shooting down Soviet fighter jets amid ongoing negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine."