At a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, President Obama awarded Capt. Florent A. Groberg the Congressional Medal of Honor. In Afghanistan in Aug. 2012, Capt. Groberg was serving as the head of a personal security detachment in the Fourth Infantry Division when the group of senior commanders he was escorting on foot through Kunar Province was approached by an individual with his back turned to the group.
Capt. Groberg's Medal of Honor citation states that the man made a sudden turn towards their formation, a suspicious bulge visible beneath his dark clothes. Rushing the man without any regard for his own safety, the captain confirmed that the bulge was a suicide vest. He selflessly tackled the bomber down and away from the security detail. Upon hitting the ground, the bomber's dead man switch detonated the vest, killing four of Capt. Groberg's fellow soldiers and wounding him desperately. The explosion triggered a second bomber's vest nearby, but it did little damage.
The citation credits Capt. Groberg's heroism with minimizing the severity of the coordinated suicide attack. He saved the lives of many of his comrades and senior leaders. The New York Times reported that the extent of the injuries to his legs, which required 33 surgeries over three years, did not keep the captain from standing at attention while his president awarded him our country's greatest commendation.
"A day after Veterans Day, we honor this American veteran whose story – like so many of our vets and wounded warriors – speaks not only of gallantry on the battlefield, but resilience here at home," said Obama. Capt. Groberg retired from the Army earlier this year. Even in his life after military service, he has chosen to continue to serve, now as a civilian in the Department of Defense.