John,

If you ask me how I survived a battle against seven Soviet fighter jets by myself, I still couldn't explain it.

It was towards the end of the Korean War, and I was aboard the USS Oriskiny in the Sea of Japan when our radar picked up a squadron of enemy Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets heading our way.

A few of the other naval aviators and I hopped in our F9F-5 Panthers to intercept them and protect our aircraft carrier.

When we got above the clouds, I spotted seven contrails – meaning there were seven Soviets we had to take down.

But that's when things took an unexpected turn.

Before engaging, my division leader's emergency warning light came on and had to return back to base with his wingman. Two of us left.

Then, the Soviets noticed we were on their tail and immediately broke off into different directions.

I quickly shot one down and my wingman veered off to finish the job.

Now, it was just me versus six Soviets.

It felt like the battle raged on for hours – endlessly twisting and turning to try and shake them off my tail.

There was a point where I was never flying straight. If I did so for even a second, I would've been instantly killed.

Every once in a while I was able to get behind one of the Soviets and fire off a few shots before they were back on my tail.

Then they hit me. And I was going down fast.

Thankfully I was close to our naval carrier – so I had the luxury of two grim choices…

Land in the sub-zero degree waters below and freeze to death… Or crash land on the naval carrier and hope to God I my fighter jet didn't explode on impact.

Somehow, I landed and hopped out of my F9F-5 in one piece. I counted 263 bullet holes in my jet.

To this day, I'm the only American who's ever shot down FOUR Soviet MiG-15s in one fight.

It's truly a miracle that I survived that day.

It's a miracle that I'm still alive to tell that story when so many of my brothers-in-arms from the Korean War weren't so lucky.

And as terrifying as facing six enemy Soviet fighter jets was in 1952, perhaps just as terrifying today is worrying that pretty soon, the lessons of duty, honor, and sacrifice I risked my life for will be completely forgotten.

I know my time is running short.

That's why I have no choice now but to ask patriotic strangers like you for your help to preserve our American history before all of us World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans are gone. Will you help me?

Like I said, I'm one of the lucky ones who's still around to pass down my stories to the next generation.

Over the past few years, thousands of heroic American veterans from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam have passed away.

And in our schools today, the younger generations who will soon lead our country aren't being taught the valuable lessons of what it takes to defend freedom and democracy.

In fact, some people are actively trying to erase our history and make guys like me ashamed of my service to this magnificent country.

I will never apologize for my service or for my undying patriotism to the United States.

That's why I'm so thankful for the American Veterans Center.

If you've ever heard of the American Veterans Center before, then you know that for the past 25 years, they've proudly stood up to protect our history by making sure no American veteran is forgotten.

Every May, they host the National Memorial Day Parade where they make guys like me the celebrities in front of the millions of people lining the streets and watching on TV.

In November, they host an Annual Veterans Conference where they fly me and my fellow combat veterans from around the country to Washington D.C. to give us the chance to tell our stories to the hundreds of students and future military leaders in attendance.

The AVC even sends camera crews to our homes so they can record our stories and preserve them for the rest of time.

But the AVC cannot do it alone.

As a non-profit organization, they rely almost exclusively on the donations of thousands of patriotic Americans like you who care about our country's history and our veterans.

The National Memorial Day Parade costs the AVC around $500,000;
The Annual AVC Conference and Youth Summit costs them around $600,000;
And every Oral History video they record costs about $2,000 to produce.

So, after all the American Veterans Center has done for me and thousands of American veterans, I have to ask you for this urgent favor...

Will you consider making a generous, tax-deductible contribution of $25, $35, $50 or more to the AVC so they can preserve our legacies before more of us pass?

I cannot begin to tell you how much the American Veterans Center means to me.

Because of them, I know that when I eventually pass on, my stories – and the stories of the men who served by my side – will be remembered forever.

But if the AVC can't raise the money to continue preserving our history, thousands of more veterans who put their lives on the line for our freedom and way of life will pass away without having their stories told.

I've always believed that those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it.

Without your help today, future generations will completely forget about what it took to keep America free and prosperous.

And when that happens, America's identity will be lost forever.

I'm counting on folks like you to make sure that doesn't happen.

Please, help my friends at the American Veterans Center preserve our history from being washed away by sending them a gift of $25, $35, $50 or more today.

Sincerely,

Royce Williams

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The mission of the American Veterans Center and the World War II Veterans Committee is to preserve and promote the legacy and experiences of America's veterans and active duty service personnel from World War II through today.

A non-profit educational organization, the AVC and WWIIVC are funded solely through generous contributions from people like you. All contributions are tax-deductible.