Captain Groberg was born in France then became a naturalized US citizen in 2001. Commissioned as an Infantry 2LT out of OCS in 2008, he was assigned to 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, deploying twice to Afghanistan, first as a Platoon Leader in 2009 and then again as the brigade commander’s personal security detachment commander in 2012.
Then on a dismounted patrol on August 8th, 2012, two suicide bombers attacked his element as they made their way to a key leader engagement at the Kunar Governor’s compound in Asadabad, Afghanistan. As Captain Groberg explains it in this interview, an enemy combatant walked up to the coalition patrol with the intent to detonate a suicide vest full of ball bearings.
As the threat emerged, Captain Groberg moved to interdict him, identified a suicide vest, and threw the combatant to the ground. Sadly, the resulting detonation killed four members of the patrol and injured 16, but triggered the early detonation of a second suicide bomber.
When I heard the account of Flo’s actions, my first thought was that he did what all Soldiers hope to do in combat, what we rehearse in our minds and train for. He immediately and boldly reacted to the enemy threat, and did everything he could possibly do to mitigate it. Without question, his actions saved lives, including his own.
During the Medal of Honor ceremony in 2015, President Obama said this about Captain Groberg:
“On his very worst day, he managed to summon his very best. That’s the nature of courage — not being unafraid, but confronting fear and danger and performing in a selfless fashion. He showed his guts, he showed his training; how he would put it all on the line for his teammates. That’s an American we can all be grateful for.”
And be sure to grab a copy of his book, 8 Seconds of Courage
Please enjoy this interview and, if you have a moment, share it with your team.
Thanks for listening!
