By Aaron Navarro
Updated on: February 5, 2026 / 12:20 AM EST / CBS News
President Trump plans to award the Medal of Honor to a retired Navy captain whose daring faceoff with Soviet fighter jets remained secret for decades and to a soldier who died in Afghanistan while protecting someone from a suicide bomber, a White House official told CBS News.
Mr. Trump called Navy Capt. E. Royce Williams and the family of the late Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis to inform them of the decision. The Medal of Honor is the U.S.’s highest military award, with around 3,500 people having received it since its introduction during the Civil War.
Michael Ollis
One of the new recipients is Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who was killed in Afghanistan after physically shielding Polish Army Lt. Karol Cierpica from a suicide bomber. The base where Ollis was stationed was breached by a car bomb and attackers wearing suicide vests in 2013, according to the Army. Ollis discovered a wounded Cierpica after approaching the blast site and, while providing first aid, moved between the insurgent and Cierpica. Ollis died when the suicide vest detonated.
Ollis, a Staten Island native, received the Distinguished Service Cross in 2019. Gen. James McConville said at the time, “Every generation has its heroes … Michael Ollis is one of ours.” Ollis’ parents, Bob and Linda Ollis, said they are “extremely grateful” in a statement from a nonprofit founded in their son’s honor. “Knowing that Michael’s life, legacy and final act of courage have not been forgotten leaves us with a feeling of overwhelming pride and eternal gratitude,” they wrote.
E. Royce Williams
The other recipient is 100-year-old Capt. E. Royce Williams, who in 1952 during the Korean War engaged Soviet MiG-15 jets in what has been described by the military as the “longest dogfight in U.S. military history.” Williams and another American pilot encountered seven Soviet jets while flying off the Korean Peninsula. The Soviets began firing, and Williams said, “since they started the fight, I shot back.”
Williams hit one MiG-15, his fellow pilot hit another, and Williams then shot down three more Soviet planes over roughly 35 minutes while dodging heavy fire. After his plane was damaged, he returned to an American carrier and landed at high speed, later saying conditions were too dangerous for him to eject.
Williams was ordered to keep the engagement secret and did not discuss it for decades. The operation became public after the fall of the Soviet Union, and Williams was awarded the Navy Cross three years ago.
Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California, whose district includes Williams, lobbied for the pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Last year, lawmakers authorized the president to grant Williams the medal, overriding the usual requirement that the Medal of Honor be awarded within five years of the actions that justify it. Issa said Williams “richly deserves” the recognition, adding that Williams’ heroism “unquestionably saved the lives of his fellow pilots, shipmates, and crew.”
In: Medal of Honor; United States Army; Donald Trump; United States Navy