STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The push to recognize U.S. Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, a Staten Island hero, with the nation's highest military decoration has received another surge of momentum.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer is renewing his push in suggesting Ollis receive the Medal of Honor.
The effort comes a few weeks after the Richmond County American Legion told the Advance/SILive.com a resolution advocating Ollis' Distinguished Service Cross be upgraded to the highest honor.
The New York Democrat penned a letter to Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George on Tuesday, urging the Army to recommend Ollis for the distinction.
"SSG Michael Ollis was among the best that our nation has to offer," the letter read in part. "He is the quintessence of what it means to be American, and his life is a testament to the values of the US Army and the United States of America. As such, I urge you to consider upgrading SSG Ollis's Distinguished Service Cross decoration and recommending him for the Medal of Honor."
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Ollis, a lifelong resident of New Dorp, died in 2013 during a Taliban raid on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan.
As noted in Schumer's letter, at the time, Ollis, 24, was serving as a squad leader in Bushmaster Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division during his third combat deployment.
It was on Aug. 28 that the base came under fire and Ollis mobilized the men under his command to a secure location and "without pause or hesitation answered the call to duty" and advanced towards the assailants, according to the letter, which was exclusively shared with the Advance/SILive.com.
Ollis rallied with coalition forces, among them Polish Officer 2nd Lt. Karol Cierpica, who had already suffered casualties and was engaging the insurgents. It was at this time that Ollis and Cierpica came in contact with a suicide bomber.
In an act of heroism, Ollis positioned himself between the bomber and Cierpica, firing upon the target.
As explained in the letter, although Ollis was able to effectively drop the attacker, the vest detonated and killed him, but not before he shielded Cierpica from the full blast, saving Cierpica's life.
"Although the two warfighters had never met before and did not speak the same language, SSG Ollis made the ultimate sacrifice, placing himself in the line of fire to protect his brothers in arms," Schumer stated in the letter.
As indicated in the letter, witnesses present at the base that day claim that Ollis' sacrifice not only saved Cierpica, but it preserved the lives of more than 40 military and civilian personnel.
The Push for a Medal of Honor
Ollis has since been recognized with the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, the Audie Murphy Medallion, and the Polish Armed Forces Gold Medal -- that nation's highest honor for non-citizens.
In 2019, Ollis' Silver Star was upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.
"I believe that SSG Ollis's steadfast devotion to his fellow soldiers, leadership of the soldiers under his command, and his heroic actions to engage the enemy while placing his own life in jeopardy qualify him to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest military decoration," the letter added. "This sentiment is shared by Americans far and wide - from SSG Ollis's parents, his commanding officers at the time, and American soldiers who served alongside Michael and witnessed his actions that day, to the Richmond County American Legion which has authored a state resolution advocating for him to receive the Medal of Honor."
The latest push to upgrade Ollis' honor comes years after an initial effort. Back in 2022, Schumer wrote a letter to Gen. James McConville, the chief of staff of the Army at the time, asking the U.S. Department of Defense to recommend Ollis for the Medal of Honor.
Should this latest push be ultimately approved by the president, Ollis will become the third Staten Island recipient of the great honor.
The Rev. Lt. Vincent R. Capodanno received the Medal of Honor in 1969 for his service during the Vietnam War and Joseph F. Merrell Jr. received the award in 1946 for his service during World War II.
Capodanno died in action while ministering to wounded Marines on the battlefield during the Vietnam War. He was 38 years old. There is an ongoing push for Capodanno to be canonized.
Merrell was 18 years old when he "made a gallant, one-man attack against vastly superior enemy forces near Lohe, Germany," according to his Medal of Honor citation. Merrell sacrificed his own life "so that his comrades go on to victory."
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