New bill would expand exception to Medal of Honor 5-year limitation

Thanks to a new bill, the Medal of Honor may be awarded to service members for acts of valor that occurred decades ago.

“Valor never expires,” Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who introduced the Valor Has No Expiration Act, said in a recent press release. “Neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor. 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.”

The act seeks to extend and expand upon the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act, which, according to Issa’s press release, 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.”

The Valor Has No Expiration Act would remove such arbitrary timelines and expand the criteria to include classified acts or those withheld from the public record.

Issa notes that he was inspired to propose the bill due to his friend and constituent, Naval aviator Capt. Royce Williams, and his 1952 actions during the Korean War.

Flying a F9F-5 Panther fighter, Williams found himself alone, outmanned and piloting what was considered an inferior aircraft when he was swarmed by seven MiG-15 aircraft. Despite initially flying with two other VF-781 pilots, Williams soon found himself alone.

“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job … I was only shooting what I had,” said Williams in a previous account of the fight. “They had me cold on maneuverability and acceleration. … The only thing I could do was out-turn them.”

For 35 minutes, Williams engaged with the enemy, shooting down four of the planes in what is considered the longest dogfight in U.S. military history. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, no other American fighter pilot has ever shot down four MiG-15s in one fight. Williams’ action, however, was kept classified for more than 50 years, making the pilot ineligible for the Medal of Honor.

“Capt. Royce Williams — now 100 years young — is an American hero of the highest order. Every American should know his story and what he did on that day nearly 73 years ago should go unrecognized no longer,” said Issa. “With this reform legislation, America’s heroes — whether undiscovered, unknown, or unrevealed — can be honored as they should. Acts of valor have no expiration date.”