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that lays down one's life for his friends."
The Petrides High School graduate, who recently decided to make the military a career, seemed born to serve his
country.

His grandfathers fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II; his father, Robert, was a combat infantryman in the
Vietnam War.

As a boy, Ollis played in a set of his father's fatigues and kept his father's jungle fatigues from Vietnam.
"When you cut Michael, he was Army green," the elder Ollis told mourners.

Both father and son were awarded the Bronze Star -- the senior Ollis belatedly in 2009 for his actions in Vietnam,
Michael for his outstanding actions during his recent tour of Afghanistan.

Ollis was the only squad leader in his platoon to be nominated for the Bronze Star.

Just three weeks before his death, he was accepted into the prestigious Sgt. Audie Murphy Club, a private Army
organization for outstanding enlisted non-commissioned officers. Soldiers must compete for membership in the club and
undergo a rigorous examination by the board.

Ollis had also earned his U.S. Army Ranger Tab and his Basic Parachute Badge.

He served bravely and heroically.
'TRUE AMERICAN HERO'

Three years ago, during his first deployment in Afghanistan, he had disregarded his own safety to ensure his men were
OK after a bomb breached a wall near their position. Then, without an body armor, he raced to the wall to prevent it from
being further compromised.

"He was the best of us," his first lieutenant wrote in a letter read during the ceremony.
Robert Ollis said his son wasn't just a solider, he was a teacher, too.

The senior Ollis said years ago he had returned home embittered from his Vietnam experience.

But he learned compassion and tolerance from his son, who took a real liking to the native Afghan and Iraqi people, the
latter whom he met during an earlier deployment.

"He cared for the people overseas," said Robert Ollis. "He didn't come home mad and angry. He loved those people."

Brushing away tears, the elder Ollis urge mourners to open their hearts and learn from his son.
"Take a little bit of Michael with you," he said. "Don't be so quick to judge. Let's be good Americans."

As the service concluded, Ollis' casket was placed in a black hearse.

Hundreds again stood again silently as the funeral procession slowly wended its way down New Dorp Lane en route to
the burial at Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.

"God knows where Mikey is," said one woman, a co-worker of Ollis' mother, Linda. "He's in heaven. You are a true
American hero."

Advance reporter Maura Grunlund contributed to this report.