He was the one who saved a Polish soldier in Afghanistan. Today he was posthumously honored by the President of the United States
US President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Sergeant Michael Ollis the Medal of Honor on Monday. Ollis, 24, died in 2013 in Afghanistan when he covered a wounded Polish soldier with his body. Trump emphasized Polish-American blood ties.
– You know, courage is amazing. You never really know who's brave and who's not until they're really put to the test. You think some people are brave, but they are not. You think others are. You never know. But he was put to the test. This is called the final test, Trump said during a ceremony at the White House.
Trump told the story of how, during a Taliban attack on a base in Ghazni province, Ollis and Polish officer Karol Cierpica led a counterattack.
– At one point, shrapnel tore the legs of a Polish soldier, making him unable to walk (…), a terrorist appeared around the corner in a suicide vest, fully armed (…), without hesitation, Michael raised his gun and squeezed himself between the fighter and the man he had just met, shielding him with his body. He knew it would happen. He protected him with his own body, he said.
There was also an appearance by Cierpic, invited by the US President, who, with his voice breaking at times, spoke about his gratitude to Ollis and his loved ones, whom he called his second family.
– A soldier is not someone you become every now and then. It's someone who you are forever (…). It is a great gift, but also a great life and obligation. My obligation and my greatest gift is to cultivate the memory of the truth of courage and heroism that I witnessed, said the Pole. – Michael, thank you for your service and we will see you in our heavenly homeland – he added. Trump noted that Cierpica named his son after Ollis.
Trump also pointed to the presence of representatives of the President of the Republic of Poland in the room, including the head of the Bureau of International Policy, Marcin Przydacz, emphasizing that Nawrocki is a “fantastic man”
Captain Karol Cierpica, a Polish soldier, hugs his parents and pays tribute to Master Sergeant Michael Ollis, who saved his life in Afghanistan. Ollis died saving a Pole. Today he received the Medal of Honor posthumously. A touching event at the White House. @RMF24pl ,… pic.twitter.com/inKX5anRSJ
— Paweł Żuchowski (@p_zuchowski) March 2, 2026
– I supported him and he won. He won and it became the biggest story in Europe. He will be a great president. He already is, Trump said.
He also mentioned that Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, is present “to honor the blood and sacrifice that contributed to strengthening the Polish-American bond.”
– We have a great bond. We have great relations with your country, said the US president.
In addition to Ollis, Master Sergeant Roderick Edmonds and Staff Sergeant Terry Richardson will also be honored at Monday's ceremony. The former, as a prisoner in a German POW camp during World War II, opposed the discrimination of his Jewish subordinates, despite having a gun pressed to his head. The latter saved three wounded soldiers under machine gun fire during the Vietnam War.
On Monday, Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that he had asked President Nawrocki to award Ollis the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Ollis's parents, Linda and Bob Ollis, told PAP that they were touched by both the American and Polish honors for their son.
– We are so honored. We love Poles. They really took us under their wing and adopted Michael almost as their patron. We feel like part of the family, she said.
In an interview with PAP, reserve captain Karol Cierpica commented on the decision to honor Ollis by the president.
– This is a very visible sign, a sign that someone appreciates this effort and sweat, and in this situation not only the effort of service, but also the highest sacrifice. This is an extraordinary moment, great joy, he said.
He admitted that when he learned about Michael Ollis being honored, he first thought about his parents, for whom it was a dream. He added that Ollis grew up in a “military family”, his father and grandfather were also soldiers. – But this is a very important gesture not only for them, it is also a testimony for others. A testimony that is intended to motivate and encourage selfless service, Cierpica noted.
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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