Posted on 01/29/2015 8:33:08 AM PST by w1n1
In the painful moments that followed, Polish Army Lt. Karol Cierpica watched as his American brother in arms took his last breath. Indeed, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, who sacrificed everything to keep a solemn promise made during the heat of battle, had his back.
Nearly one year after Michael’s final act of courage, his parents walked the streets of Poland, where their son is now a national icon.
“A complete stranger walked up to us and said, in broken English, ‘are you the parents of the hero?’” Michael’s mother, Linda Ollis, told me. “So many people knew who we were when we were there … they just honored Michael in so many different ways.”
Almost everyone reading this article supports our troops. The vast majority of us also treat the veterans and military families we know with dignity and respect.
But when it comes to the stories of the valiant men and women who have volunteered to protect us since 9/11, our generation is failing to pay attention. If thousands of Polish citizens already know the incredible account of an American soldier’s courage, so should we. Read the full story here.
And we barely recognize our own heroes while a foreign nation celebrates one of ours.
“The Polish government posthumously awarded its Army Gold Medal — the top award for a foreign soldier — to Michael. The Ollis family also met with Poland’s president, prime minister, and U.S. ambassador during their August visit. They embraced the family of a Polish soldier who was killed in the same battle, as well as the Polish lieutenant who survived the attack because of Michael.
Next year, Lt. Karol Cierpica and his wife will welcome a newborn son. He will be named after Michael. Staff Sgt. Ollis’ grieving parents never could have imagined it, but Michael has become a hero of Poland.”
I know what our young men and women do to protect us and kill our enemies and keep the rest of the dirt bags who would kill us awake at night, no one has to tell me. My wife and I donate regularly to The Wounded Warriors Project and the USO. And it isn’t just this generation of veterans and active service personnel that I care about. I’ve volunteered my time with WW2 vets, Korean War vets and Vietnam vets too. For me everyday is Veterans Day. The scumbag in The White House needs to be reminded of who our veterans are as well as the Occupy filth and the rest of the anti-military and anti-American crowd.
God bless Michael’s memory!
A foreign country gives more respect to our fallen than the former Governor of Minnesota as well as all of the occupants of the ‘White Hut’ put together.
Great article.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.