Congressman Introduces Bill to Allow Medal of Honor for 100-Year-Old Korean War Pilot
Posted on June 26, 2025 by alert5
U.S. Representative Darrell Issa has introduced legislation that would make a 100-year-old Korean War veteran eligible for the Congressional Medal of Honor more than seven decades after his classified combat actions that military historians consider among the most extraordinary in American aviation history.
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 20, 2023) — Retired U.S. Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams receives a Navy Cross for his actions during the Korean War Jan. 20.
The Valor Has No Expiration Act, proposed by the California Republican who represents the 48th Congressional District, would eliminate time restrictions that currently prevent Captain E. Royce Williams from receiving the nation’s highest military decoration for single-handedly downing four Soviet MiG-15 fighters in 1952.
The bill extends and expands provisions from the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act that waived the five-year limitation for Medal of Honor consideration, but only for actions occurring between 1940 and 1990 and only for classified intelligence activities. Issa’s legislation removes the arbitrary 1990 end date and expands the criteria to include acts that were classified or withheld from public record.
“Valor never expires, and neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor,” Issa said in announcing the legislation. “There is no reason why those who went above and beyond are ineligible for the Medal of Honor due to an arbitrary time standard, when their true account may not be known or was kept classified for decades.”
https://alert5.com/2025/06/26/congressman-introduces-bill-to-allow-medal-of-honor-for-100-year-old-korean-war-pilot/#more-101711
