'A True American Hero': Borough President Vito Fossella Supports Effort To Award Staff Sgt. Michael J. Ollis With Medal Of Honor

Borough President Vito Fossella penned a letter to President Donald Trump in support of efforts to posthumously honor Staff Sergeant Michael J. Ollis with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration.

He wrote the letter after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recommended Staff Sergeant Ollis for the honor.

"Staff Sergeant Ollis is the very example of the American spirit -- tenacity, patriotism, courage, and service to your fellow man," said Borough President Fossella. "His ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country, saving the life of somebody else, is an incredibly heroic action that resonates in our hearts to this very day. We hope Staff Sergeant Ollis can be bestowed the Medal of Honor, a medal he is so deeply deserving of, so that the generations to come can look to him and learn from his profound example."

A graduate of the Petrides School, Staff Sergeant Ollis sacrificed his life while protecting a Polish soldier from a suicide bomber at their base in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom on Aug. 28, 2013. He was only 24.

In the years since, Staten Islanders, including his parents, Robert and Linda Ollis, have advocated for his sacrifice to be officially recognized and honored at the national level. 
Staff Sergeant Ollis was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, and the Bronze Star, as well as the Polish government's highest military award, the Polish Medal of Honor.

​(Photo courtesy of the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com/Jan Somma-Hammel)