The White House approved the Medal of Honor for fallen Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who died heroically shielding an allied soldier in Afghanistan suicide bombing.
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TheWhiteHousehasapprovedtheMedalofHonorforfallenArmyStaffSgt.MichaelOllis,aStatenIsland,NewYork,nativewhodiedinAfghanistanin2013,whileshieldinganalliedsoldier,accordingtoRep.NicoleMalliotakis,R-N.Y.,whosaidshewasnotifiedofthedecisioninastatementpostedtosocialmedia.
Thedecisionfollowsyearsofadvocacyfromveterans’groups,electedofficialsandtheStatenIslandcommunitytoformallyrecognizeOllis’actions,whichsupportershavelongarguedmetthestandardforournation’shighestmilitaryhonor.
InaFacebookpost,MalliotakissaidshehadbeennotifieddirectlybytheWhiteHouse.
“WewerenotifiedbytheWhiteHousethatStatenIsland’shometownhero,U.S.ArmyStaffSergeantMichaelOllis,hasbeenapprovedfortheMedalofHonorforhisextraordinaryactofheroism,”Malliotakiswrote.
REPBRIANMAST:CONGRESSHASTHEPERFECTWAYTOHONOROURNATION’SFALLENHEROES
OlliswaskilledinAfghanistanonAug
