FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 24, 2026) -- Eleven years ago, the Fort Drum community gathered at the Range 2 weapons training facility to celebrate the life and legacy of a fallen 10th Mountain Division (LI) Soldier, during a memorialization ceremony in his honor.
Soldiers, family members and guests returned on June 23 to rededicate the Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis Weapons Training Center and reaffirm a pledge to never forget his valor and service.
“Today is more than simply unveiling a sign,” said Maj. Gen. Scott Naumann, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum commanding general. “Today, we preserve a legacy here on Fort Drum. We speak a name that must never fade. And we ensure that every Soldier who trains here understands the standard of courage, selflessness, and devotion to duty that Staff Sgt. Ollis embodied in his life and in his service.”
In January 2013, Ollis deployed with 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, on his second combat tour to Afghanistan. On Aug. 28, his forward operating base in the Ghazni province was attacked by vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, indirect fire and small-arms fire and Ollis moved his Soldiers from building to bunkers for protection.
After confirming everyone was accounted for, he re-entered the building to check for casualties before moving toward the enemy force that had gotten into the base. During the attack, Ollis shielded Polish 2nd Lt. Karol Cierpica from a suicide bomber, absorbing the blast and sacrificing his own life to save the injured comrade.
“Michael’s courage was not an accident,” Naumann said. “It was the product of the values instilled by his parents, his training, and a warrior’s heart.”
Ollis’s parents, Robert and Linda, joined Naumann to unveil a new bronze plaque outside the training center to reflect the Medal of Honor they posthumously accepted on his behalf on March 2, 2026.
Additionally, a new exterior sign was installed, and a new display case will be added inside after the ceremony.
“Michael lived by the highest ideals of our profession,” Naumann said. “He is part of the soul of this division today. May every Soldier who trains here strive to meet the standard that he set for all of us. May his story remind us of the cost of freedom, and may his name forever echo across the division and our great nation.”
The facility was originally dedicated to Ollis in June 2015, and again in September 2019 when he posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross that year.
“This Weapons Training Center is where Soldiers sharpen their skills, where they build confidence, and where they prepare for the demands of combat,” Naumann said. “It is a place where discipline is forged, where lethality is honed, and where readiness becomes real for those of us who wear the uniform today. There is no more fitting a name to place on this facility than that of Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis.”
Ollis joins five other distinguished Medal of Honor recipients honored by the 10th Mountain Division: Lt. Gen. George P. Hays; Pfc. John D. Magrath; Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti; Maj. William D. Swenson; and Staff Sgt. Travis Atkins.
| Date Taken: |
06.24.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
06.24.2026 16:44 |
| Story ID: |
568512 |
| Location: |
FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: |
17 |
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0 |
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