Mickey Strand Photography

10/28/2026

Elmer Royce Williams
United States Navy
Captain - Pilot / NFO
World War II - Korean War, Vietnam
Ace of the 38th Parallel

Captain Elmer Royce Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient, reflected on his extensive 37-year military career, which began when he enlisted during World War II and spanned several branches of service. After completing rigorous naval aviation training, he piloted aircraft such as Corsairs and early jet fighters during the Korean War, notably surviving an intense dogfight against Soviet MiG jets. Despite injury restrictions that prevented him from continuing as a pilot, he continued to serve in leadership roles, including commanding air wings, serving as a Naval Flight Officer, and holding significant positions, including the first inspector general for the Pacific Command. His experiences highlight a lifelong dedication to the military, culminating in his retirement as a Navy Captain after decades of diverse operational and administrative assignments.

Elmer Royce Williams served 37 years on active duty from 1942 to 1980. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy (after serving in the Minnesota Army National Guard). Captain Williams grew up in Wilmont, SD, and Clinton, Minnesota, and during the Great Depression, his father used his WWI bonus to move the family to Clinton, buying a storefront to set up a grocery store with living quarters in the back. Royce attended school in Clinton and graduated from high school in 1943. At age 11, he met his future wife of 67 years, Camilla Pearl (Cammie), while attending Sunday school. They had three sons together, Bruce, Craig, and Mark.

Royce enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard while in high school and attended boot camp at Camp Ripley, MN. He enrolled in the Naval Aviation Cadet program in 1942/1943 and attended Navy boot camp in Corpus Christi, Texas, before completing a two-year flight-training pipeline. This training included Flight Preparatory School (Corpus Christi), War Training School (Conway, AR & Murray, KY, flying N2S Stearman biplanes), Pre-flight at the University of Georgia & Memphis, TN, and Basic/Advanced Flight Training at NAS Pensacola, FL (flying SNJs and SBD Dauntless dive bombers), receiving his Naval Aviator wings in mid-August 1945. Royce later earned a 4-year degree at the University of Minnesota and attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

He completed operational training at Opa-locka (Miami), Florida, and became carrier-qualified on the USS Ranger (CV-4). He was then assigned to a Hellcat squadron on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) in Norfolk, Virginia. Shortly after, he transferred to a Hellcat squadron on the USS Princeton (CVL-23) to return the body of Philippine President Manuel Quezon to the Philippines. He flew out of Tillamook, Oregon, for gunnery training before his Grumman F8F Bearcat squadron transferred to NAS Jacksonville, FL, making another South Pacific cruise.�
Royce reported to NAS Miramar and was assigned to VF-781 Pacemakers, flying Grumman F9F-5 Panther jets off the USS Oriskany (CVA-34) in 1952. On November 18, 1952, he engaged seven Soviet MiG-15 fighters alone off North Korea for a 35-minute dogfight, the longest dogfight in U.S. Navy and military history, shooting down/hitting multiple MiGs and surviving 263 shrapnel holes in his jet before escaping into the clouds and landing back on the carrier. The NSA and Navy classified the incident as top secret for decades. Williams was awarded the Silver Star, which was upgraded to a Navy Cross in 2023. In 2026, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

During the Vietnam War, Royce served as CAG-11 Air Wing Commander and Qualified as a Naval Flight Officer (NFO) in F-4 Phantoms. He was stationed at the Pentagon (OpNAV): Executive Assistant to the Director of Naval Aviation (OP-05); helped change Title 10 federal law in 1968 to allow NFOs to assume command of operational units. His other senior Leadership Roles included the Navy Director of Prisoner of War Matters, Commanding Officer of the Pacific Command ship USS El Dorado (LCC-11), first Inspector General for CINCPAC, and Chief of Staff for Commander Western Pacific (COMWESTPAC) in Japan. Captain Williams retired in 1980 after completing 37 years of active duty service.

10/13/2026

So blessed to have been invited to interview and photograph Medal of Honor Recipient, Captain Royce Williams in his home today.

09/21/2026

So… I was blessed this weekend to walk my amazing daughter Gabriella down the aisle and share in her and Eric’s special day. I am so pleased that we all had a lovely time and that the big day was a hit for everyone. Love you so much Gab. This is our last selfi together before she became a wife.

09/21/2026

Let’s all send him a card or a letter folks.

📣 Hear ye, hear ye! 📣

One of our fabulous World War II veterans is turning ONE HUNDRED years old on October 1, and we are looking for our wonderful community's help in making this incredible milestone extra special for him!

We are hoping to collect 100 birthday cards wishing Merle a very happy birthday!

A little about Merle:

Merle was born on October 1, 1926, and grew up in Bay City, Michigan. He graduated from high school and was drafted into the Army on January 16, 1945. Merle attended 16 weeks of basic infantry training at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, and then then attended training at the Garrison Center at Fort Meade, Maryland. He was at Garrison for Victory in Europe (VE) Day, and he participated in the VE Day parade in New York City with the infantry, marching down Fifth Avenue.

Merle was loaded onto a train to Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington. He and his fellow troops boarded a Liberty ship bound for Hawaii, where they spent weeks jungle training and preparing for the invasion of mainland Japan. When Japan surrendered, he was still in Hawaii and recalled the whole island was "one big party" that night.

Not having served long enough to have the points to complete his enlistment, he received orders to replace members at the Hawaii Garrison. He was assigned to Headquarters, 294th Search Light AAA Battalion, which provided anti-aircraft artillery and searchlight operations. While at the 294th, Merle received on-the-job training to operate a teletype machine and was then assigned to work at the message center for six months at Schofield Barracks.

Merle then worked as a company clerk at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii with the 97th Gun Battalion and as a guard at the Honouliuli Internment Camp. He completed his enlistment and returned home on his 20th birthday on October 1, 1946.

Merle was honorably discharged from the Army on November 9, 1946. He participated in the 52-20 transition program, receiving $20 for 52 weeks before finding a job. This G.I. transition program afforded servicemembers the funds to transition to civilian life.

Today, Merle lives here at our Home and knows everything about every sport known to mankind! He can be found in the dining room talking to his fellow veterans about last night's game, last year's game, and upcoming games in football, basketball, and baseball — you name it!

If you'd like to participate, please feel free to send a note or card filled with birthday wishes, gratitude, or even a special memory to help brighten his big birthday.

Please send a card to:
Merle
3400 Knighton Road
Redding, CA 96002

Let's all come together and make this centennial birthday one he'll never forget.

Thank you for helping us to honor and recognize a true American hero, and Merle, thank you for your service!

Photo and bio credit: Mickey Strand Photography (April 24, 2024)

07/15/2026

Today we “WW2 veteran Lem Waggoner, who turned 104 on Monday, his daughter and I” got to tour the USS Midway Museum CV-41 thanks to the amazing work of Jack Gale.
Lem got all dressed up in his new Dress Blue Cracker Jack uniform, making the rest of us look like schmucks. Everyone treated Lem wonderfully, asking to be in photos with him and shake his hand thanking him for his service. It was a great day to be a veteran and to work this Veteran portrait project https://veteransportrait.com.

06/26/2026

Join me on July 3rd at 1:00 as we simplify lighting a hero’s portrait. San Diego County Fair.

06/22/2026

Michael A. Smith
United States Army
Buck Sergeant
Peace Time Service

Michael was born on August 31, 1934. After high school, he enlisted in February 1954, toward the end of the Korean War, to attend school and avoid being drafted. After a difficult basic training, he attended a yearlong school in El Paso, Texas, focusing on electronics and electrical operations for the Nike missile system, an anti-aircraft missile system. He completed his training with a practice shoot at Red Sands, New Mexico, where his team successfully tracked and fired at a target.

His first assignment was a temporary station in Stanton, California. He was scheduled for a battery in Detroit, Michigan, but he swapped with another soldier who wanted to be near home. While waiting for the transfer to process, he performed MP duty at a prison for about a month. He spent approximately 9 months in Stanton while the LA-12/13/14 defense cluster site was under construction.

He then moved to a permanent site, LA-70, in Playa del Rey, California. This was a permanent station located near a school and the beach. Because of the local terrain, the radar antennas were mounted on 30-foot towers, requiring Michael to climb ladders to perform maintenance. This site is part of the LA Airport today.

Michael spent the remainder of his three-year service maintaining the Nike system at the Playa del Rey site. His primary responsibility was the maintenance and calibration of three radars (two acquisition and one surveillance) and an analog computer. After his three-year enlistment, Michael was honorably discharged in February 1957.

06/18/2026

George Neu
United States Army
Specialist 4 (SP4)
Peace Time Service

George was born on May 20, 1933. He was living in Buffalo, New York, and working for IBM before he was drafted. It was the post-Korean War peacetime, but the draft was still in effect.

George was drafted into the service because IBM did not grant deferrals to its employees. He completed boot camp before being assigned to a unit that could make use of his background in the computer industry.

George was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He worked in the Engineering Research and Development labs, providing computer support. His unit was unusual because nearly every enlisted man in the company held advanced degrees. His primary responsibility was operating and supporting an IBM 650, a "medium-sized" computer of the era, consisting of two large, 8-foot-long, 8-foot-high cabinets.
He worked with programmers and wrote programs himself to debug and adapt to the machine's idiosyncrasies. This helped speed up engineering math that had previously been done by hand.

While primarily working at Fort Belvoir, George was temporarily stationed in Maryland, where he met his wife. He spent the duration of his two years in the D.C. area, allowing him to witness historic events such as President Eisenhower’s second inaugural parade and the funeral of the Korean War Unknown Soldier.

George concluded his service with an honorable discharge on June 5, 1958. He had worked for IBM before being drafted and returned to IBM immediately after his discharge. He transferred to IBM's Washington office and remained in the area until 1963. George and Mary were married after he left the service.

06/16/2026

Robert Turner
United States Army Ordnance Corps
First Lieutenant
Peace Time Service

Robert Turner joined the Army in May 1960 after graduating from college. He served from May 1960 to May 1962, between the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He noted that although he did not see "war activity," his service was briefly extended by an additional year due to the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961. He was eventually released after two years as tensions eased.
Robert was stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. During his first year, he served as an Am******on Officer at the United States Army Ordnance School, the primary training center for Ordnance Corps personnel. Its core mission was to provide enlisted men and officers with the technical expertise required to ensure the infantry remained fully supplied and equipped.

His duties included overseeing instructors (primarily sergeants), observing classes to ensure effective teaching, and collaborating with the Master Sergeant and a civilian curriculum manager to manage the office and schedule.

Robert served his entire two-year term at the school. In his second year, he served as an Operations Officer at the Ordnance School's headquarters. He was responsible for planning and executing formal ceremonies, including weekly graduations and conferences. This included managing certificates, arranging high-ranking guest speakers, and handling protocol and transportation for visiting officers.

06/12/2026

What a blessing to be able to help Lem Waggoner, 104 year old Navy, a Gunners Mate Petty officer first class (GM1) get squared away with his new crackerjacks and a new updated set of medals for his 104th birthday party as well as the 4th of July.