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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The Week contest: Flight fraud
Puzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders
-
Mamdani upsets Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary
Speed Read Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani beat out Andrew Cuomo in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
-
Supreme Court clears third-country deportations
Speed Read The court allowed Trump to temporarily resume deporting migrants to countries they aren't from
-
Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Speed Read Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now
-
US assessing bomb damage to Iran nuclear sites
Speed Read Trump claims this weekend's US bombing obliterated Tehran's nuclear program, while JD Vance insists the US is 'not at war with Iran'
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday