President Trump plans to award the Medal of Honor to a retired Navy captain whose daring faceoff with Soviet fighter jets remained secret for a half-century and a soldier who died in Afghanistan whereas defending any person from a suicide bomber.
Mr. Trump known as Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams and the household of deceased Military Employees Sgt. Michael Ollis to tell them of the choice, a White Home official advised CBS Information.
The Medal of Honor is the U.S.’s highest navy award, with round 3,500 folks receiving the medal because it was launched through the Civil Conflict.
Michael Ollis
One of many latest recipients is Ollis, who was killed in Afghanistan after bodily shielding Polish Military Lt. Karol Cierpica from a suicide bomber.
The bottom in Afghanistan the place Ollis was stationed was breached by a automotive bomb and a bunch of fighters carrying suicide vests on someday in 2013, in accordance with the Military. Ollis found a wounded Cierpica after approaching the blast web site and, whereas performing first help on the Polish soldier, an rebel approached them. Ollis then moved between the rebel and Cierpica and died when the suicide vest detonated, the navy has mentioned.
Ollis, a Staten Island native, was given a Distinguished Service Cross in 2019, with Gen. James McConville saying on the time: “Each technology has its heroes … Michael Ollis is one in every of ours.”
Ollis’ mother and father, Bob and Linda Ollis, mentioned they’re “extraordinarily grateful” in a press release by a nonprofit based of their son’s honor.
“Figuring out that Michael’s life, legacy and ultimate act of braveness haven’t been forgotten leaves us with a sense of overwhelming satisfaction and everlasting gratitude,” the mother and father wrote.
E. Royce Williams
One other new medal recipient is 100-year-old Williams, who shot down 4 Soviet MiG-15 jets throughout a once-secret 35-minute confrontation that the navy has described prior to now because the “longest dogfight in U.S. navy historical past.”
In 1952, through the Korean Conflict, Williams and one other American pilot encountered a bunch of seven Soviet jets whereas flying off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. The Soviets started firing, he mentioned prior to now, and “since they began the battle, I shot again.”
He hit one of many MiG-15s, and the opposite American aircraft adopted it. Then, on his personal, he shot one other three Soviet planes, dodging a whole bunch of rounds of fireside, in accordance with descriptions of the battle which have been revealed by the U.S. navy lately.
“Within the second I used to be a fighter pilot doing my job,” Williams advised information outlet Activity & Goal in a 2022 interview. “I used to be solely taking pictures what I had.”
After Williams’ aircraft was hit, he flew again to an American plane provider and landed below excessive pace, later saying he felt the frigid situations had been too harmful for him to eject himself.
Williams says he was advised to maintain secret the airborne U.S.-Soviet firefight, a uncommon navy faceoff between two Chilly Conflict archrivals who sought to keep away from direct conflict with one another. He did not talk about it with anyone for many years — together with his spouse.
The operation finally turned public within the a long time following the autumn of the Soviet Union. Williams was awarded the Navy Cross three years in the past.
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California, whose San Diego-area district is residence to Williams, has pushed for the retired Navy pilot to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Final 12 months, lawmakers licensed the president to grant him the medal, overriding the standard requirement that Medal of Honor recipients get the award inside 5 years of the act that justified it.
Issa wrote in a press release Wednesday that Williams “richly deserves” the popularity.
“The heroism and valor he demonstrated for greater than 35 harrowing minutes nearly 70 years in the past within the skies over the North Pacific and the coast of North Korea unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew,” Issa wrote.
