POZNAN, Poland — U.S. and Polish military leaders rededicated the Michael H. Ollis
Warrior Grill at Camp Kosciuszko on June 12, honoring the newly minted Medal of
Honor recipient and reaffirming the powerful bond between the two nations.
The ceremony unveiled an updated plaque for Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, whose
Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded posthumously to the Medal of Honor earlier
this year for his actions in Afghanistan.
Ollis, of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, was killed
on Aug. 28, 2013, during a fierce insurgent attack at Forward Operating Base Ghazni.
Moving alongside Polish Army 2nd Lt. Karol Cierpica, Ollis shielded his wounded ally
from a suicide bomber, sacrificing his own life to save another.
Originally dedicated to the Staten Island, New York native in 2023, the Warrior Grill is
the first Polish military dining facility named for an American service member. Leaders
said the rededication not only reflects Ollis’s Medal of Honor, but also the enduring
significance of his sacrifice to U.S.-Polish military cooperation.
“Staff Sergeant Ollis did not do this because of a formal treaty alliance,” said Col.
Jeremy McHugh, U.S. Army Garrison Poland commander. “He did it for brotherhood, for
kinship that develops between Soldiers in harm’s way.”
The event’s timing added extra meaning, coinciding with the Army’s 251st birthday and
taking place at a camp named for Polish and American Revolutionary War hero Tadeusz
Kosciuszko.
“May both individuals serve as examples of the friendship and relationship between our
nations for the future,” McHugh said.
Lt. Col. Grzegorz Holubowicz, deputy commander of Poland’s 14th Garrison Support
Unit, called Ollis’s actions a lasting symbol of the values shared by both militaries.
“His actions remind us that the soldiers of Poland and the United States are united by
common values — honor, courage, loyalty and steadfast commitment to serving and
protecting others,” Holubowicz said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Phillip B. Blaisdell, V Corps senior enlisted leader, reflected on his
connection to Ollis and his family, tying the soldier’s sacrifice to the long-standing
alliance between the United States and Poland.
“We’re here for Poland because on Sept. 11, 2001, Poland was here for us,” Blaisdell
said, referencing Poland’s support alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After the White House Medal of Honor ceremony on March 2, Poland awarded Ollis the
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, its highest honor for foreign citizens.
The rededication concluded with an Army birthday cake-cutting, linking Ollis’s legacy of
service to the Army’s ongoing commitment to its Soldiers, allies and partners.