President Obama awards Medal of Honor to captain who tackled a suicide bomber
In August 2012, while on patrol in Afghanistan, Capt. Florent Groberg realized something wasn't right. A man he spotted out of the corner of his eye had the tell-tale bulge under his shirt of a suicide bomb vest.
"The only thing I could think of was, 'I have to get him away. I have to get him away from the boss. I have to get him away from everybody," Groberg told Army Times.
Groberg began pushing the man away, eventually throwing him to the ground — only to have the bomb detonate at his feet. The blast killed four Americans and caused a second suicide bomber to detonate prematurely. Groberg himself suffered a severe leg injury that required 33 surgeries to save it; it took him three years to fully recover. However, his quick thinking is believed to have potentially saved dozens of lives — most of the patrol.
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Today, Groberg was recognized for his courage by President Obama at the White House, where he became the 10th living service member to receive the Medal of Honor for serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. He will be inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes Friday.
"These actions were demanded among some of the most dreadful moments of war," Obama said at the ceremony. "That's precisely why we honor heroes like Flo. On his very worst day he managed to summon his very best." The Medal of Honor is the United States of America's highest military honor.
Watch Obama tell the full story of Groberg's heroic act, below. Jeva Lange
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