Summary and Key Points: A U.S. Army staff sergeant who died during a 2013 insurgent assault on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan is set to receive the Medal of Honor.
-Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis moved toward the fight and linked up with wounded Polish Lt. Karol Cierpica.
SAN DIEGO, Ca. (Nov. 4, 2025) – The Medal of Honor awarded to Capt. Jacklyn Harold “Jack” Lucas, a U.S. Marine who became the youngest recipient of the distinction at age 17 during World War II, is displayed aboard the ship that received his namesake, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). Jack H. Lucas is the first Flight III warship in the U.S. Navy, marking a significant evolution in surface force combatant capabilities. The mission of Commander, Naval Surface Force, Pacific Fleet is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sara L. Eshleman)
-When a bomber confronted them, Ollis placed himself between the attacker and the injured officer and kept firing as the vest detonated, killing him.
-His award history moved from Silver Star to Distinguished Service Cross, and his sacrifice is honored in Poland. His family has long pushed for the upgrade and built a legacy foundation.
Medal of Honor Approved for Soldier Who Died Shielding a Polish Officer in Afghanistan
A U.S. soldier will finally receive a Medal of Honor, just over a decade after he died shielding a Polish officer in eastern Afghanistan. The medal has been awarded posthumously to only 618 people in American history.
Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, an infantry squad leader with the 10th Mountain Division, died on Aug. 28, 2013, after Forward Operating Base Ghazni was swarmed by insurgents.
The awarding of Ollis with the U.S.’s most prestigious military decoration was greenlit by President Donald Trump and publicly confirmed by his parents, Robert and Linda, last week.
Trump also informed the Ollis parents that they were invited to the award ceremony at the White House.
Robert Ollis said the family had been tipped off that “somebody” would call after the Pentagon contacted them roughly a week earlier to “clear the phone numbers.” Then, around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, gathered in their kitchen with their daughter, they received a call from Trump personally.
Robert described the moment as “extremely happy, but also sad… bittersweet,” per SILive.
The 2013 attack involved the explosion of a vehicle-borne bomb and numerous fighters, some clad in suicide vests, attempting to enter the base. Ollis moved toward the clashes where he linked up with Polish Lt. Karol Cierpica, who had been badly wounded in both legs.
When Ollis engaged the insurgents, one of them confronted them wearing a suicide vest. Ollis put himself between the assailant and his injured Polish colleague, firing until the attacker was down, although his vest still detonated, killing Ollis.
He was aged just 12 at the time of his death. The New York Post reports that “Ollis’ actions likely protected more than 40 service members and civilians on the base during the attack.”
U.S. Army 1st. Sgt. Robert Durbin holds 1st Sgt. David McNerney’s Medal of Honor during an Enshrinement Ceremony at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22, 2013. The Smithsonian Institution accepted McNerney’s Medal of Honor for inclusion in the National Postal Museum collection where it will be displayed in the National Stamp Salon of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade, U.S. Army/Released)
Ollis had already received major recognition: a Silver Star later upgraded in 2019 to the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second-highest combat award. In Poland, his sacrifice entered military lore; he was awarded the Polish Army Gold Medal for Valor and a dining facility at Poznań’s Camp Kościuszko bears his name, with Cierpica maintaining a long-standing bond with the Ollis family.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the family’s local congresswoman, Nicole Malliotakis, said she “applauded” the decision and said Ollis’s “courage, selflessness, and sacrifice represent the very best of our nation.”
The Ollis family has spent years advocating for the upgrade and building a community legacy through the Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation, which has funded practical support for veterans and local families, including better facilities for those now living with disabilities.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education. You can follow her on X: @llggeorgia.
