At 101, Captain E. Royce Williams is busier than ever, and he's one of the most remarkable people you'll ever hear from. Mark sits down with his longtime friend at the San Diego Air & Space Museum for the full story, with no commercial breaks.On November 18, 1952, flying an F9F-5 Panther off the USS Oriskany near the Soviet border, Royce faced seven Soviet MiGs alone. In a 35-minute dogfight, the longest in U.S. Navy history, he shot down at least four. He brought home a plane riddled with 263 holes, survived being fired on by his own fleet, and landed on the carrier. Then he was ordered never to tell anyone, and he didn't for more than 50 years.

Royce also corrects the history books on his own career. He talks about joining the Army at 16, flying 227 combat missions across Korea and Vietnam, and how a drink with President-elect Eisenhower eventually led him to Monkey Shoulder. He also talks about scouting, faith, his late wife, and what he thinks about America's future. Stay for the ambulance story at the end.

Chapters

00:00 Introducing Captain Royce Williams

01:19 Medal of Honor night in Washington

02:06 Enlisting at 16 and becoming a naval aviator

04:30 November 18, 1952: the mission near the Yalu

07:19 Launching into a snowstorm, bogeys inbound

08:27 Down to two Panthers, chasing the MiGs

10:58 Ambushed by seven MiGs

13:28 Head-on with the MiG leader

16:07 Out of ammo and hit by a 37mm cannon

18:04 Limping home: friendly fire and a crippled landing

21:32 Silence in the ready room and a cover story

23:26 Sworn to secrecy for 50 years

25:50 1992: Soviet records reveal the truth

27:37 227 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam

28:55 Eisenhower, bourbon vs. scotch, and Monkey Shoulder

33:57 Medals, humility, and the secret to 101

35:05 History, patriotism, and where America goes next

38:43 How air combat changed from WWII to drones

40:08 Eagle Scout days and starting four scout troops

41:21 Japan, the Pacific, and his late wife

44:58 How Royce learned he could finally talk

46:16 The ambulance ride and cocktail hour

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss returns to Mark Larson Unfiltered to tell her side of the 49 days that ended her premiership. In her new book, Bank Job: How the Bank of England Broke the Bond Market and Brought Down the Government, Truss argues that the 2022 market crisis blamed on her budget was driven by the Bank of England's own moves — the start of quantitative tightening and a poorly regulated pension market — and that Britain's unelected institutions hold too much power.

Mark and Liz also revisit her 2024 book, Ten Years to Save the West: whether the clock is speeding up, what's driving unrest across Europe, migration and free speech in Britain, the roles of China and Russia, the 2028 US race, when the Russia-Ukraine war might end, and the extraordinary days when Queen Elizabeth II appointed her and died two days later. Plus: why she says she's "not going away."

Recorded at the San Diego Air & Space Museum studios.

Liz Truss's books:

Bank Job: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1918396426

Ten Years to Save the West: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1684515513

Follow Mark Larson:

X: https://x.com/marklarsonradio

Instagram: https://instagram.com/marklarsonradio

Web: https://marklarson.com

Follow Liz Truss:

X: https://x.com/trussliz

Instagram: https://instagram.com/trussliz

Web: https://elizabethtruss.com

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome back, Liz Truss

00:45 Two books, and the 49-day premiership

02:04 What really caused the 2022 bond crisis

06:44 Why Britain's problems matter to Americans

09:43 As Europe goes, so goes the US?

13:19 Is the 10-year clock speeding up?

17:21 China, Russia and stoking division

18:27 Calling out communism

21:00 Midterms, socialism and Gen Z

23:21 Looking ahead to 2028: Vance, Rubio and more

25:07 When will the Russia-Ukraine war end?

25:59 The Queen's death and the knives come out

28:04 "I'm not going away"

29:05 Wrap-up and where to find the books