The Congressional Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest military decoration for valor, may soon be awarded to individuals for acts performed decades ago. This possibility arises from new legislation introduced by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48).
The proposed bill, named the Valor Has No Expiration Act, aims to extend and expand a provision from the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act. The original provision waived the five-year limitation for Medal of Honor consideration but was limited to actions occurring between 1940 and 1990 and only for classified “intelligence activities.” Issa’s bill seeks to remove this time constraint entirely and include acts that were previously classified or withheld from public record. Under current law, service members must be recommended and awarded within five years of their act.
“Valor never expires – and neither should the opportunity for our bravest heroes to be recognized with our highest honor,” said Rep. Issa. “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.”
Issa highlighted Royce Williams as both inspiration and justification for this legislative effort. In 1952, during the Korean Conflict, then-Lieutenant Williams engaged in a notable dogfight against Soviet MiG-15 fighters, an action that remained classified for over 50 years. As a result, Williams was ineligible for the Medal of Honor.
“Captain Royce Williams – now 100 years young — is an American hero of the highest order,” said Rep. Issa. “Every American should know his story and what he did on that day nearly 73 years ago should go unrecognized no longer.”
With this reform legislation, Congressman Issa hopes America’s heroes—whether undiscovered or previously unknown—can receive recognition without time limitations.
Full text of the Valor Has No Expiration Act can be found here.
