STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Rep. Nicole Malliotakis spoke with the White House and delivered a letter to President Donald Trump Friday morning expressing her \u201cfull support\u201d for posthumously awarding U.S. Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis the Presidential Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S.<\/p>\n
Ollis, a New Dorp resident, was killed in 2013 during a Taliban raid on Forward Operating Base Ghazni in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn August 28, 2013, Staff Sergeant Ollis faced a choice,\u201d Malliotakis\u2019 letter read in part. \u201cIn an instant of absolute clarity, he chose selflessness and placed himself between a fellow allied officer. He did not pause or calculate. He acted, knowing the cost would be his life. Saving the life of a fellow Allied officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years of advocacy from veterans, elected officials and the local Staten Island community, as well as a recommendation from the Secretary of the Army, the decision to award this hero the Presidential Medal of Honor now rests with you, Mr. President,\u201d the letter added. \u201cThe Presidential Medal of Honor is a statement of national memory and appreciation of a grateful nation. It tells the entire world and future generations the kind of courage, patriotism, sacrifice and service the United States holds sacred. Staff Sergeant Ollis was a soldier, a leader, and a man of profound moral clarity. His final act requires no embellishment or argument. It stands on its own, resolute and selfless, and worthy of the highest recognition our country can bestow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter concluded with Malliotakis, a Republican who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, thanking the president for his leadership, support of the military and consideration of the request \u201cto bestow a fellow New Yorker and an American patriot with the most deserving recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n
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This photo from 2019 shows the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Army. It was awarded posthumously to Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis, who earned the award for extraordinary heroism in Afghanistan on Aug. 28, 2013.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n
Malliotakis is the latest local official to support the effort to upgrade Ollis\u2019 Distinguished Service Cross to a Medal of Honor. The push for the recognition has also seen support from U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Republican South Shore Councilman Frank Morano<\/a> and Borough President Vito Fossella, who wrote a letter of his own<\/a> to President Trump on Thursday.<\/p>\n A months-long effort to honor Staten Island\u2019s own<\/p>\n The push to honor the Staten Island hero began in the summer of 2025. In June, the Richmond County American Legion penned a resolution<\/a> advocating for the distinction.<\/p>\n Then, in July, Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, wrote a letter to Chief of Staff of the Army General Randy A. George,<\/a> urging the Army to recommend Ollis for the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n The recommendation worked its way up the chain of command and found itself before Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n