Posted on 11/14/2013 6:10:24 PM PST by Stonewall Jackson
A slain Staten Island soldier was honored at the Polish consulate in Manhattan Tuesday for his heroic actions during an insurgent attack in Afghanistan in August.
Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, 24, was killed on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan on Aug. 28.
When a car bomb exploded near the base and insurgents began attacking, Ollis first accounted for his men and then ran towards the site of the blast and sound of gunfire, according to Polish military officials.
During the fighting, Ollis stepped between a Polish officer, Lt. Karol Cierpica, and a suicide bomb-laden insurgent, protecting the officer from the fatal blast.
Cierpica told NBC News after the ceremony that he thanked Ollis' father for his son.
Ollis' parents, Robert and Linda Ollis, were presented with the Gold Medal of Polish Armed Forces, the equivalent of the Legion of Merit, the Army's fifth highest decoration, at the ceremony Tuesday. Polish ambassador Ryszard Schnepf also presented to Ollis' parents a traditional Polish Calvary sword as a sign of bravery.
Ollis was also awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest award for valor given by the Army, after being recommended by his unit, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
A Polish soldier was also killed, and 10 Polish soldiers and dozens of Afghan troops were injured in the same Aug. 28 attack.
Ollis was from New Dorp and joined the Army in August 2006 after graduating from high school. He previously did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
FYI
He jumped between an officer and a suicide bomber(equivalent of jumping on a grenade in my book) and the best we could give him was the silver star? Typically when someone jumps on a grenade they are awarded the Medal of Honor, at least many of them were.
Hopefully the case is under review. Often times a lesser medal is presented immediately since the review process for a Distinguished Service Cross can take over a year and the Medal of Honor reviews often take two to three years.
What a wonderful young man.
.
RIP, brave warrior.
That man had more bravery in his little finger than our current president has in his entire body.
I love seeing Soldiers recognized for their valor, but doesn’t it gall you to see BO draping an MoH on a brave Soldier?!?!
It does me.
Ditto.
The pin-prick-in-chief isn’t worthy to shine their shoes.
(Yes, I know that they don’t shine their boots anymore...my generation is on of the last that mastered the art of the spit-shine, and I’ve proudly passed that on to my son.)
“I love seeing Soldiers recognized for their valor, but doesn’t it gall you to see BO draping an MoH on a brave Soldier?!?!”
Makes me sick. It almost rises to the level of a perversion.
Salute to Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis..................two!
Salute to his family along with prayers of comfort to the family.
“No greater love....”
The best and brightest die while the scum continue on.
God bless the warriors.
It is amazing some of the situations those men found themselves in, yet they still continued on. Sometimes they were successful in their endeavors, sometimes they weren't, but they are amazing nonetheless.
When I'm finished with the Medal of Honor citations, I'm going to go on to the Distinguished Service Cross and Navy Cross citations. One of my great-uncles received the Navy Cross for charging two 13,000-ton Japanese heavy cruisers with a 1,250-ton destroyer to protect a disabled US heavy cruiser.
We have all read stories of our soldiers unending bravery and selflessness, and my awe for them never ceases. These men are our true treasure. Prayers for his family going up tonight.
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