Rounds: South Dakota Native Royce Williams Set to Receive Medal of Honor

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced that President Donald Trump is awarding Wilmot, South Dakota native and retired U.S. Navy Captain E. Royce Williams with the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor in the United States. This follows a decade of research and requests from Rounds' team following the declassification of Williams' combat files in 2016.

"Royce Williams is a real-life Top Gun, a true American hero and will now be a recipient of our nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor," said Rounds. "I was pleased that following the declassification of his dogfight with Soviet planes, Captain Williams' Silver Star was upgraded to a Navy Cross after I met with then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. These awards were hard-earned and well-deserved. A provision in this year's National Defense Authorization Act allowed President Trump to award the Medal of Honor. I'm pleased that President Trump and his team made the determination that Captain Williams is deserving of this honor and I'm looking forward to celebrating this momentous occasion."

The Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act included a provision that exempted Williams' case from a requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the combat incident and allowed President Trump to award Williams with a Medal of Honor. This provision was sponsored by Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who represents the congressional district in California where Williams now resides. Williams will be honored at a ceremony at the White House, with the exact date to be determined.

BACKGROUND:

On November 18, 1952, then-Lieutenant Williams led three F9F Panthers against seven Soviet MiG-15s, which according to the U.S. Naval Institute, were "superior to the F9F in almost every fashion." His mission, which was the only direct overwater combat between U.S. Navy fighters and Soviet fighters during the Cold War, led to the protection of Task Force 77 from enemy attack. Capt. Williams' heroic actions were classified due to rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union at the time.

After the engagement was declassified in 2016, Rounds' office spent years conducting research, sending formal requests for records and maintaining communication with various stakeholders on behalf of Capt. Williams. On February 19, 2021, Rounds sent a letter to then-Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker seeking assistance in obtaining gun camera film from Williams' mission. Rounds also sent a letter to the Archivist of the United States David Ferriero to request an expedited search for Williams' records on May 25, 2021. On July 12, 2021, Rounds met with then-incoming Secretary of the Navy Del Toro and asked the Navy to review Williams' case. Rounds followed up with Secretary Del Toro asking for his personal review of the case on August 18, 2021.

In 2023, following repeated engagement with Secretary Del Toro, Williams' Silver Star Medal was upgraded to a Navy Cross, which is the Navy's second-highest military decoration. Rounds and his staff have remained engaged with the Navy and the National Archives and Records Administration related to Williams' case.

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