Escondido resident Capt. Royce Williams was awarded the Navy Cross for an astonishing feat that for more than 70 years remained a secret.
The event that led to this day happened 70 years ago. Then-Lt. Williams and his squadron were flying patrol near the coast of North Korea, when members of his squadron spotted a group of Soviet MiG fighters. The rest of the squadron had to return to base because of mechanical issues, leaving Williams alone to battle the enemy.“They shot first. So it was on and game on and I didn’t have a choice," Williams said after the ceremony.Capt.
For the next 35 minutes, Williams fought the MiGs in an F9F-5 Panther, what he called an inferior plane to the MiGs, but...He would use those guns to shoot down four MiGs in what was the longest dogfight in the history of the Navy. His airplane sustained 263 shots, but Williams was still able to get it back to his ship, the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, and safely land.
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