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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 3, 2025
This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to E. Royce Williams for acts of valor committed on November 18, 1952, during the Korean War as a lieutenant in the Navy.
People & committees
Rep. Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48] · R–CA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 25, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would allow the President to award the Medal of Honor to E. Royce Williams for his actions as a Navy lieutenant on November 18, 1952, during the Korean War. It would set aside award deadlines for this specific case. The proposal would give the President permission to make the award; it would not require or itself confer the medal.
(a) Waiver of time limitations Notwithstanding the time limitations specified in section 8298 of title 10, United States Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the President may award the Medal of Honor under section 8291 of such title to E. Royce Williams for the acts of valor described in subsection (b).
(b) Acts of valor described The acts of valor described in this subsection are the actions of E. Royce Williams, as a lieutenant in the Navy, on November 18, 1952.
The bill’s findings argue that Williams deserves the Medal of Honor for a 35-minute aerial battle on November 18, 1952. They credit him with shooting down four, likely five, of seven Soviet aircraft while outnumbered and outgunned. These are the bill’s stated findings and rationale.
(12) E. Royce Williams deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on November 18, 1952, when he successfully eliminated four, likely five, of seven MiG–15s in a far less superior aircraft during the 35-minute-long aerial battle wherein he never once sought safety in the clouds or abandoned the mission despite being outnumbered and outgunned.
The findings state that those preparing Williams’ original Silver Star award lacked access to secret radio intelligence and a later Russian report. They also state that the Secretary of the Navy upgraded his Silver Star to the Navy Cross on January 20, 2023.
(9) When Williams was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on November 18, 1952, the drafters did not have access to the top secret radio intelligence or the subsequent Russian report released after the Cold War.
(11) On January 20th, 2023, Williams’ Silver Star was upgraded by the Secretary of the Navy to the Navy Cross.
Section 2 would waive the award deadlines in section 8298 of title 10 of the United States Code, along with any other applicable award time limit, for Williams. It would authorize the President to award the medal under section 8291 of that title.
Notwithstanding the time limitations specified in section 8298 of title 10, United States Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the President may award the Medal of Honor under section 8291 of such title to E. Royce Williams for the acts of valor described in subsection (b).
The authorization would cover Williams’ actions as a Navy lieutenant on November 18, 1952.
(b) Acts of valor described The acts of valor described in this subsection are the actions of E. Royce Williams, as a lieutenant in the Navy, on November 18, 1952.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated August 25, 2025, records that the bill was introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Armed Services on March 3, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-08-25T18:46:02Z. 2025-03-03: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services. 2025-03-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; the bundle does not include earmark disclosures or accompanying committee materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied text contains an individual exception to award deadlines that directly serves the bill’s main purpose. This classification does not judge the exception’s merits.
E. Royce Williams would receive a specific exception to military medal award time limits, allowing the President to award him the Medal of Honor despite those deadlines. The exception would permit, but not guarantee, the award.
Notwithstanding the time limitations specified in section 8298 of title 10, United States Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the President may award the Medal of Honor under section 8291 of such title to E. Royce Williams for the acts of valor described in subsection (b).
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 25, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI