Polish Delegation with Kosiniak-Kamysz at White House Ceremony

American Sergeant Michael Ollis will be posthumously honored with the United States' highest military decoration for a heroic act that saved the life of a Polish officer. The Medal of Honor presentation ceremony by President Donald Trump will take place on Monday, March 2, at the White House. This event highlights allied ties and will have a special character due to the presence of a Polish state delegation. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and reserve captain Karol Cierpica, whose life Ollis saved, will fly to Washington for the ceremony.

The Medal of Honor is the highest U.S. military decoration, awarded by Congress on behalf of the nation for an act of the highest courage and sacrifice, beyond the call of duty, at the risk of one's life. Its history dates back to the Civil War, and this decoration is awarded very rarely, often posthumously. The event that led to this decoration took place on August 28, 2013, in Afghanistan's Ghazni province. During a Taliban attack on a coalition forces base, armed assailants used a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenades to breach the facility. Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, a 24-year-old soldier from New York, during the fighting noticed the wounded Polish officer, Captain Karol Cierpica, who could not walk. According to the official White House description, Ollis "completely disregarding his own safety, placed himself between the insurgent and the coalition officer." He fired a shot at the attacker and incapacitated him, but when he approached him, the insurgent's vest exploded, mortally wounding the American soldier. Ollis died, shielding the Polish captain with his own body.

Preparations for the Polish delegation's visit to Washington were kept secret in recent weeks. As an informant from the Ministry of National Defense told "Fakt," the March 2 date was uncertain until the end due to President Trump's tight schedule. "We were fully dependent on the White House," the source admitted. The delegation's composition had to be limited because, as explained, "the White House isn't made of rubber." Logistics were handled by the Trump administration and the Polish embassy in Washington. During the visit, Polish representatives will meet with Sergeant Ollis's family. Donald Trump reportedly told the deceased soldier's loved ones: "Your son is receiving the highest award that you can receive. There's no greater honor than the Medal of Honor. He's looking down right now and he's saying, well, mom and dad are handling it pretty well."

„Your son is receiving the highest award that you can receive. There's no greater honor than the Medal of Honor. He's looking down right now and he's saying, well, mom and dad are handling it pretty well.” — Donald Trump Ollis will be one of three soldiers honored with the Medal of Honor during Monday's ceremony. His sacrifice for a Polish ally symbolically strengthens transatlantic military ties and serves as an example of brotherhood in arms. Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz's visit to such a high-ranking ceremony in Washington underscores the importance the Polish government attaches to relations with the U.S. and to honoring heroism that directly involved a Polish citizen. Captain Cierpica, who survived thanks to Ollis's intervention, will be personal testimony to the effects of this heroic act.