Fox News cited New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis as saying that the White House has approved awarding the United States’ highest military honor—the Medal of Honor—to Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, who was killed in action. Malliotakis stated that she received direct notification of the decision from the White House and announced it publicly via social media.
In her statement, she wrote that Ollis was a “hometown hero” from Staten Island, and that his heroic actions meet the highest standards for receiving the Medal of Honor. The decision also marks significant progress for efforts that veterans’ groups, elected officials, and the Staten Island community have been advocating for over many years.
Sacrificing life to shield allies on the Afghan battlefield
Michael Ollis was killed on Aug. 28, 2013, in Afghanistan at the age of 24. During a suicide bombing attack, he used his body to shield an injured Polish officer, absorbing the blast alone and ultimately dying from his injuries.
According to the Medal of Honor citation previously reported by Military Times, at the time Ollis was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, stationed at a forward operating base in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. After the base was breached by a car bomb, several enemy combatants wearing suicide vests entered the perimeter. Ollis, after ensuring his fellow soldiers were safe, charged into the firefight alongside Polish Lieutenant Karol Cierpica.
When Lt. Cierpica was injured in the leg and unable to move, Ollis positioned himself between them, taking down an attacker—but the assailant detonated the suicide vest, fatally wounding Ollis.
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Family receives call from president: pride mixed with heartache
Military Times reported that Ollis’s father, Robert Ollis, confirmed that he and his wife Linda received a call Tuesday evening from President Trump notifying them that their son had been approved for the Medal of Honor. Robert described the moment as “bittersweet.”
“Of course, we wish all of this could happen to Michael, but as a father, I would have rather had my son come back,” he said. “Still, this is the best outcome we could hope for.”
Previously, Ollis had been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross—the Army’s second-highest combat honor—for the same act of heroism. Because federal law imposes strict time limits on Medal of Honor nominations and awards, the process requires complex reviews, and in some cases, congressional legislation is needed to waive the time limit.
Honor beyond borders: symbol of allied solidarity
Ollis’s sacrifice is also seen as a symbol of U.S. military alliances. At Camp Kościuszko in Poznań, Poland, a dining hall named after him—the “SSG Michael Ollis Warrior Dining Hall”—remains in use. Symbolically, the Polish officer he saved, Lt. Cierpica, later named his son “Michael” in his honor.
Author Tom Sileo, who documented Ollis’s story, told Military Times that Ollis gave his life for a foreign soldier he barely knew—a gesture that itself embodies the deeper meaning of military alliances and selfless sacrifice. Sileo also emphasized that efforts to posthumously award the Medal of Honor have been ongoing for years, long before the current administration, and should not be simplistically interpreted as a political act.