On August 28, 2013, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis, 24, during a Taliban attack on a NATO base in Ghazni, eastern Afghanistan. Taliban insurgents blasted their way into the compound. As one detonated his suicide vest, Sergeant Ollis stepped in front of Polish officer, Lt. Karol Cierpica, saving his life and shielding him from the blast.

Lt. Cierpica became a father earlier this month of a baby boy that he named “Michal”(Polish for ‘Michael’) in honor of his protector, Sgt. Ollis.

Robert Ollis, the father of Sgt. Ollis, said he and his wife Linda were ‘delighted with the news’. According to Staten Island Live,

Robert Ollis and his wife, Linda, called the tribute to their son “unexpected” and “wonderful.”

“I thought of the baby as a grandson,” Ollis Sr. said “We are very happy and honored.”

To thank Cierpica and his wife, the Ollis family sent the couple a teddy bear they had specially made out of their son’s Army fatigues. The gift comes from a charity organization — the Matthew Freeman Project — which offers the free service to families of fallen soldiers.

They’re hoping to meet “Little Michael” in person next time Cierpica visits them in New York. Last summer, the Ollises traveled to Poland, where they visited with Cierpica and his wife and the Polish soldiers who’d served at the same base in Afghanistan with Sgt. Ollis and Cierpica.

“We’d like to see them again soon with Little Michael,” Ollis said.

Last year, Ollis and his wife started a charity in their son’s name — the Staff Sgt. Ollis Freedom Foundation, to help soldiers and veterans.

“We just want to help a young man or woman going into the service like Michael,” Ollis said

HT: Radio Poland