U.S. President Donald Trump presents the posthumous Medal of Honor to Linda and Robert Ollis, parents of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 2, 2026.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
A Staten Island resident who courageously gave up his life to save a fellow soldier during the War in Afghanistan was given the military Medal of Honor at the White House on Monday.
President Donald Trump posthumously presented the award to Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis during a special ceremony on March 2. Ollis was recognized for the valor he bravely demonstrated as an infantryman during combat at Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 2013.
Ollis was born on Sept. 16, 1988, in Staten Island. After witnessing the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, he felt compelled to join the ROTC program in school. With his parents’ consent, he joined the military’s Delayed Entry Program before enlisting in the Army in 2006.
Michael H. Ollis: Killed by a suicide bomber
The NYC native was under direct enemy attack involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs), suicide vests and indirect fire at the base when he ordered his fellow soldiers to move from a building to bunkers for protection. When his team was safe, he reentered the building and checked for casualties before moving toward the enemy force that was penetrating the base.
He and an injured Polish Coalition Forces officer, Lt. Karol Cierpica, whom he met during the fight, were confronted by an enemy wearing a suicide vest.
While under continuous fire, Ollis joined other friendly forces as they moved from position to position, engaging the enemy. While fighting along the perimeter, the insurgent approached the group and engaged them with small-arms fire.
“With complete disregard for his own safety, Ollis positioned himself between the insurgent and the Polish officer, who was wounded and unable to walk,” the U.S. Army’s website reads. “Ollis fired on the insurgent and incapacitated him, but as he approached, the insurgent’s suicide vest detonated, mortally wounding Ollis.”
Polish officer’s “second family in Staten Island”
Trump underscored the immense sacrifice Ollis made for his country. He presented the award to Ollis’ parents, Robert and Linda.
“Staff Sgt. Ollis was killed just weeks before his 25th birthday. And no one was anymore brave than that,” Trump said. “In his final act on Earth, Michael absorbed the blast, sparing the life of that Polish warrior.”
Cierpica, who attended the ceremony, spoke about Ollis’ selfless act of valor.
“Today, my greatest gift is to cultivate the memory of true heroic courage that I witnessed by your beloved son Michael,” Cierpica said. “Please forgive me if my words have not fully captured what I truly feel today. However, sometimes words are simply not enough.”
Cierpica named his son Michael after Ollis. He called Ollis’ family his “second family from Staten Island” and America his “second home.”
Trump awarded two other U.S. Army soldiers with the Medal of Honor during the ceremony. Master Sgt. Roderick Edmonds posthumously received the recognition for his acts of gallantry during World War ll in which he defied a Nazi order to identify Jewish-American POWs. Threatened at gunpoint, he refused, protecting over 200 soldiers.
Vietnam War Veteran then-Staff Sgt. Terry Richardson received the honor for going above the call of duty when he rescued fellow soldiers while under enemy attack on Sept. 14, 1968.
Trump gives updates on Iran conflict
Before presenting the medals, Trump updated Americans on the Iran conflict, now known as Operation Epic Fury, which began on Saturday with sweeping U.S. and Israeli military strikes on the Middle Eastern country, killing the nation’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump said the conflict, which already resulted in the deaths of four U.S. service members, would continue for four to five weeks, with the “capability” to go longer.
“Today the United States military continues to carry out large-scale combat operations in Iran to eliminate the grave threats posed to America by this terrible terrorist regime,” the President said.
Trump said the Iranian government refused to stop pursuing nuclear weapons by breaching agreement limits, reducing transparency and having stockpiles of enriched uranium, prompting the attack.
Meanwhile, protests continued across the country, including in NYC, both in support and opposition of the ongoing military action.
