1. Elmer Royce Williams was born on 4 April 1925 and is a retired United States naval aviator.
15 Facts About Royce Williams
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Royce Williams is known for his solo dogfight with seven Soviet pilots during the Korean War, which, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, has been called "one of the greatest feats in aviation history" by military experts.
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Royce Williams learned to fly the F9F-5 Panther jet and was assigned to active duty in the Korean War, where he flew 70 missions.
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The other three pilots had to return to the carrier and the MiGs began to fire on Royce Williams, putting him into a one-man dogfight with seven MiG-15s that lasted 35 minutes.
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Commanders on his carrier ordered him away, but Royce Williams had to tell them that he was already fighting for his life.
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Royce Williams shot down four of the MiGs and likely hit two others.
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Royce Williams was uninjured, but 263 holes were counted in his Panther jet.
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Royce Williams never saw the plane again; reportedly, it was pushed into the sea.
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The story of his battle with the Soviet-piloted MiGs led to Williams being debriefed at the time by admirals, the Secretary of Defence, and a few weeks later by newly inaugurated President Dwight D Eisenhower.
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Royce Williams retired from the Navy as a captain in 1980.
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Royce Williams said that Williams's heroism was "unmatched either in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, or since then".
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In January 2023 Royce Williams was awarded the Navy Cross as an upgrade of the Silver Star the Navy awarded him in 1953.
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Royce Williams, I have determined this case to be special and extraordinary.
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Royce Williams's medals include the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Legion of Merit with Combat "V".
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The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Elmer Royce Williams, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while leading in aerial flight a division of three jet fighter planes attached to Fighter Squadron SEVEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE, embarked in the USS.