STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Everyone knew Army Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis was a hero, but new details have surfaced documenting the leadership, selflessness and bravery that cost him his life.

One Army commander called Ollis a "Great American" and Rep. Michael Grimm said the New Dorp man displayed the "ultimate act of heroism."

Ollis, 24, died in Afghanistan Aug. 28 protecting a Polish soldier from a suicide bomber during an attack on their base that according to Army Times, included "grenades, rockets and a 3,000-pound bomb."

The Fort Drum, N.Y., soldier, of the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), stepped into the path of an unnamed Polish officer, blocking him from the suicide vest of an insurgent who had raided Forward Operating Base Ghazni.

"In emotional interviews with investigators, the Polish officer repeatedly praised SSG Ollis and credited him with saving his life," according to an Army account of the Aug. 28 action obtained by Army Times.

"Unfortunately, we lost a great American there from 10th Mountain Division in that attack, but the defenders did extraordinarily well," said Army Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, the No. 2 commander for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Milley is a former commander of the 10th Mountain Division.

Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, 24, of New Dorp, died saving another soldier.

In a ceremony on Sunday at the base, four American and two Polish army soldiers were recognized for valor in the attack, according to the Army Times, "which began when a car bomb breached the base's eastern perimeter wall, allowing 10 insurgents in suicide vests to infiltrate the compound."

The Army Times gave this account of the attack:

Said Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn): "If there was any doubt -- and there shouldn't have been -- this man was a hero. A hero in the truest sense of the word."

Grimm underscored that Ollis' actions had nothing to do with his unit advancing, "this was about protecting people we don't even know...The congressman noted that Ollis' heroism "epitomizes why we are exceptional" and is symbolic of the men and women of the U.S. military who defend our right to freedom.

Said Grimm: "It's the ultimate act of heroism and a reminder that freedom isn't free."

Ollis has since been nominated for a Silver Star, the third highest military decoration for valor, an Army source told Army Times. The nomination is working its way through Ollis' chain of command in Afghanistan.

"It's more than well-deserved," said Grimm. "He [Ollis] has made us all so proud."

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