Royce Williams Receives Long Overdue Recognition

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Episode #770 of Hometown Heroes, airing January 28 – February 2, 2023, features highlights from a special ceremony in San Diego to present 97-year-old Royce Williams with the Navy Cross. The recognition was long overdue for Williams, a veteran of World War II, the Korean War, the cold War, and the Vietnam War who had to keep his most extreme achievement under wraps for more than a half century.

Captain E. Royce Williams with Congressman Darrell Issa and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at the Navy Cross presentation. (Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class T. Logan Keown/
Office of the Secretary of the Navy)

Williams was forbidden to talk about the events of November 18, 1952 for more than 50 years. He first shared his story on episode #408 of Hometown Heroes in 2016, shortly after Homeland Magazine featured him in a cover story as the “Forgotten Hero of the Forgotten War.”

Check out Homeland Magazine’s article on Royce from 2016.

Once the remarkable story of his shooting down four Soviet MiGs in a single day became known, more than a hundred flag officers advocated for Williams to receive greater recognition. On January 20, 2023, those efforts came to fruition when Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presented Williams with the Navy Cross, a decoration exceeded only by the Medal of Honor. You can watch the entire ceremony below in coverage from San Diego’s KUSI-TV: