In a rare and unexpected sight, vintage aircraft flew over San Diego’s USS Midway Museum on Saturday in tribute to Royce Williams of Escondido, who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor for winning an extraordinary aerial dog fight during the Korean War.
The flyover drew about 200 people to their feet on the carrier’s flight deck, where they had gathered to praise Williams, a retired Navy fighter pilot whose heroics were kept secret for decades because it involved a clash with the Soviet Union, which wasn’t officially at war with the U.S.
Williams, who will turn 101 on April 4, also turned his attention to the sky as four vintage T-34 trainer aircraft passed by on a morning hot enough to cause people’s iPhones to turn off due to the heat.
Moments earlier, Williams, who is widely known as a humble man, looked at the crowd and said, “What if they had a party and nobody attended,” drawing smiles from scores of military veterans, Navy brass, and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.
Capt. Royce Williams salutes aboard the USS Midway museum during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Sandy Huffaker / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The heroic act that drew people to the Midway on Saturday occurred on Nov. 18, 1952, not long after the 27-year-old Williams bolted from the deck of the carrier USS Oriskany in his F9F-5 Panther fighter jet. He soon found himself in a solo dog fight with seven Soviet MiG jets —aircraft that were faster and more nimble than the one Williams was flying.
He could have fled the area. But Williams took on the MiGs in a dog fight that lasted 35 minutes. He shot down four of the MiGs before limping back to the Oriskany, flying a plane riddled with 263 holes caused by bullets and 37mm cannon fire.
He was soon notified that he could never discuss the dog fight because it could escalate tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, potentially leading to war. The incident remained secret until the early 2000s when the U.S. declassified certain records from the Korean War.
A plaque, to be displayed at the Mt. Soledad Memorial, is presented to Capt. Royce Williams aboard the USS Midway museum on Saturday (Sandy Huffaker / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Over time, many people — notably Rep. Darrel Issa — began pressuring the government to award Williams the Medal of Honor. That effort came to fruition on Feb. 24 when Williams was awarded the medal during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C. The medal was draped around his neck a second time on Saturday.
Issa said Williams “could have gone to the clouds quickly and escaped seven MiGs. He made the decision, against all odds, to engage. … It is a story of an inferior aircraft that shouldn’t have been in the fight and someone (Williams) who kept going until he was out of ammunition.”
“God was looking out for Royce,” Issa said.
Mayor Todd Gloria presents a declaration to name Capt. Royce Williams Day aboard the USS Midway museum during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Sandy Huffaker / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The story also stirred Gloria, who said, “Just think about it for a moment. A young man in his 20s making a split-second decision with everything on the line, protecting the ships of Task Force 77 from seven Russian MiGs off the coast of Korea and then landing a heavily damaged aircraft on an aircraft carrier.”
“I think you’ve probably picked up over the years (that) landing on an aircraft carrier is not easy to do on the best of circumstances. I can only imagine what it took to do that day,” Gloria said.
Williams deferred to the contributions of the Oriskany’s crew back in 1952.
Capt. Royce Williams shares a moment with Sgt. Walter Travis, the oldest living Marine, aboard the USS Midway museum during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (Sandy Huffaker / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“The ship doesn’t operate without people — dedicated, smart, qualified people … (Not) everything on (this) airplane was the greatest, worked perfectly. Fired every bullet. No problem,” Williams said.
Andy Holt, a former Marine helicopter pilot from Irvine, said he admires such modesty. But on Saturday, like many others, he simply marveled at what Williams did, shaking his head in awe.
“A 30-minute dog fight in a jet and still be able to prevail?,” he said from the deck of the Midway. “The heroism is absolutely amazing.”