Retired Army Captain to Get Medal of Honor for Heroism in Afghanistan

“The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty“, the White House said in a statement.

Moments later, a second suicide bomber appeared and blew himself up, killing five of Groberg’s fellow soldiers.

A retired Army captain from Fort Carson is receiving the nation’s highest military honor for disrupting suicide bombers in Afghanistan.

Groberg’s unit was escorting a group of senior officers and other officials to a meeting in Asadabad in August 2012, the Army said in an account of the fight for which he is to be honored.

Groberg, now 32, was originally born in France and became a USA citizen in 2001. Groberg returned to the area in 2012 as the leader of a personal security detachment for a colonel.

Groberg met him, hit him and threw him to the ground with the help of a sergeant.

Groberg rushed the suspect and shoved him away from the patrol.

While four people still died, Groberg’s actions substantially limited the casualty count. Groberg said he saw a man come out of a building walking backward.

When the first suicide bomber was taken out, a second suicide bomber prematurely detonated his explosive device, thus also limiting the effectiveness. He suffered a severe leg injury and was medically retired in July.

“This medal is not about me”.

President Obama will present Groberg with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony November 12 at the White House, according to the Army. It’s about them, it’s about their families, it’s about true heroes that sacrificed everything for their country.

Groberg, who grew up in Maryland, spent almost three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before medically retiring in July. He graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, in June of the same year and soon after attended the University of Maryland, College Park. In May 2006, Groberg graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. Though he had hoped to continue a career in the Army, his inability to run has led him to serve in a different capacity: as a civilian employee of the Defense Department. “It is my mission to tell everyone”, regarding Command Sgt. Maj.