More than seven decades after a heroic – and secret – dogfight in the skies of Korea, 100-year-old Capt. Royce Williams, USN (Ret), received the Medal of Honor on Feb. 24 during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.

“His story was secret for over 50 years,” Trump told the audience near the conclusion of his address. “He didn’t even want to tell his wife. But the legend grew and grew. But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves.”

Williams, a MOAA Life member, was the second Medal of Honor recipient in an evening that included a number of awards – Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover, USA, was honored for his role in the January capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Slover, still recovering from injuries suffered during the mission, received the award alongside his wife.

[RELATED: MOAA Member, 100, to Receive Medal of Honor for Historic Korean War Air Battle]

Follow-up ceremonies honoring Williams are planned in San Diego in the near future, but full details have not been released. Williams is scheduled to be honored Feb. 25 at the Pentagon with a formal induction into the Hall of Heroes.

The dual awards marked the first time Medals of Honor were presented during a State of the Union address; with Trump at the podium, Slover received his from Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, former head of Army Special Operations Command and nominee to serve as the next leader of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Williams received his from first lady Melania Trump.

Battle over Korea

Piloting his F9F-5 Panther, Williams engaged with seven Soviet MiG-15s in near-blizzard conditions over Korea in 1952. He’s credited with shooting down four of the planes, though full details of the encounter weren’t made public for decades. He spoke of the mission in a 2022 interview with MOAA.

Williams initially earned a Silver Star for shooting down one of the MiGs and damaging another. The award was upgraded to a Navy Cross in 2023 as work continued to secure Williams a Medal of Honor – first through military pipelines and later through legislation, which ultimately succeeded in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

President Trump called Williams on Feb. 3 to inform him of the award. The retired Navy captain who also served in World War II and Vietnam is not only the newest honoree, he’s also the oldest to wear the medal in the award’s history – days older than Lt. John Finn, USN (Ret), who earned the award for his actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and passed away in 2010 at age 100.