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About Our
Speaker for the June Meeting Royce Williams was born in 1925 at Wilmot, SD. His first airplane ride at the age of four was
from a farm field in a Ford Tri-motor. With his family he moved to Clinton, MN at the age of
eleven.
Royce Williams retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain in September 1975. He joined the V5
aviation cadet program in March of 1943 and went on active duty when he graduated from high
school in Clinton. He was eager to get into Naval Aviation and had his eye on a Naval Academy
appointment. He was the community's first Eagle Scout, a possible qualifier for the Navy flight
program back then. Royce joined the Minnesota Guard in early 1942 becoming an infantry
corporal training in northern Minnesota mosquito swamp bases before entering the Navy.
Royce's flying started in the Navy Factory built N3N biplane, not too different from the
Travelair owned by his friend, a barnstormer. Royce used to wipe the plane down and sell tickets
to passengers at county fairs to get free rides while in high school. His N3N instructor was a crop
duster in Arkansas and saw to it that Royce's early training was a little unusual.
After Boot Camp and numerous aviation cadet schools, including flying five kinds of airplanes,
he graduated at Pensacola and was assigned to fighters, F6F Hellcats; then Corsairs, and
Bearcats. He was selected for a Regular Navy commission and sent to college to get a "two year
degree". In 18 months he earned a baccalaureate degree in geopolitics at the U. of Minn. and was
sent on to Line School, Monterey. The Korean War was in full bloom then and Royce was
ordered to Air Group 102 just returned from a Korean deployment. He was assigned to VF-781, a
F9F-5 squadron and after the training work-up the Air Group was deployed on the USS.
Oriskany for Korea.
The standard missions for the jet squadrons entailed ground target attack, close air support,
recce and photo escort, but the war changed for Royce when he was attacked by 7 Soviet
MIG-15s out of Vladivostok. The USS Oriskany (his aircraft carrier base) reported that Royce
shot down 1 MIG and probably one more. A National Security Agency team operating aboard the
USS Helena just off the coast of Vladivostok made it known by way of Admiral Briscoe,
COMNAVFE, telling Royce "at least 3" (with the proviso that you can't tell anyone". And it was
so until about 5 years ago. There is a Soviet/Russian internet report that says "4".
During the half hour engagement the F9 performed as designed: radar, sight, guns, and
Grumman tough when hit. Williams, after facing a few gun bursts from the large task force of
ships at GQ, "guns free" still had to get aboard the bouncing deck. But thanks to the Oriskany for
the last minute turn of the ship to line-up with the disabled F9, it made it aboard. A meeting with
President-elect Eisenhower and dignitaries followed in Seoul, Korea.
Then his next deployment was on USS Boxer, in the same "Pacemaker" squadron, now flying
F9F-6 Cougars. He was then ordered to exchange duty with the Air Force at Nellis and the
Fighter Weapons School, student and then instructor; and then his first "command" F86-H's, the
instructor upgrade unit "Black Panther". Next he instructed in FJ-3s at FAGU, NAS El Centro.
While making a tow take-off in a F9F-5 he lost power and crashed a few miles from the base
resulting in a broken back and neck. He was evacuated to Balboa Naval Hospital and then
continued to teach ground school until the cast was removed.
He attended Armed Forces Staff College and had a plush short assignment teaching tactics with
CAG-17 before reporting to the USS Independence under construction at the New York Ship
Yard. After the Indy he went to Moffett instructing in F8-E's with VF-124. This was followed by
a tour as Head Officer of Plans, BUPERS.
From there Williams was on to VF-33 as XO and CO of the F8-E squadron on the nuclear
around the world cruise on USS Enterprise. He commanded the squadron through transition to
F4 Phantoms and deployment on the carrier America. He returned to the West Coast as Wing
Commander CVG-11 aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and two Viet Nam deployments; the second
deployment as an NFO because of back/ neck undiagnosed problems.
Williams, now a captain selectee was ordered to Washington again as OP-05A in the Pentagon.
He was the first Navy Department Director of MIA/POW Matters, meeting with Asst. Secretary
of State Harriman, Asst. SECDEF Int'l Affairs, CIA and every entity that had a part to play in
POW matters. Contrary to what other services were doing, he met with the families and briefed
deploying air wing flight crews stateside and off Vietnam.
When selected for a "deep draft" he commanded the USS El Dorado, Amphibious Flag Ship,
Pacific. Next, at CINCPAC, he was Deputy Chief of the Command Center and then became the
first Inspector General. Royce then spent a couple of years as Chief of Staff
COMFAIRWESTPAC, Atsugi, Japan. He came back to San Diego as Asst Chief of Staff Ops,
COMTRAPAC and hospitalization at Naval Hospital San Diego and retirement. He was recalled
to active duty in 1981 as Commodore, Convoy Commander of a training Task Force of ships
transiting from West Coast ports to Hawaii.
Royce and Camilla, his wife of 58 years live north of Escondido, CA. Of his three sons, 2 were
naval officers.
Royce attended the Armed Forces Staff College and has a MBA.. He is a life member of ANA,
the Tailhook Association, numerous service organizations and is a Golden Eagle.
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