Last August Staff Sgt. Michael H. Ollis died in August 2013 after he stepped in front of a suicide bomber to protect other soldiers, including nearby Polish soldiers. One Polish soldier died and 10 more were injured.
I include the link to the news article below as it also has photos and a second link to an earlier story.
This story raised some goosebumps for me, in a good way. You don’t hear much in the American press about the Polish Army fighting the Taliban side by side with the Americans. People may think Poland? But their soldiers have died next to ours. I don’t have statistics to know what the numbers are.
Secondly, I have a son who is active-duty military. He wants to qualify for EOD – Explosive Ordinance Demolition. I don’t think any parent would be excited about their child defusing bombs for a living, but it’s a needed service in war. I applaud Staff Sgt. Ollis and any other soldier who takes the hit for those around him.
Link to story: