A 2001 Walter Johnson High School graduate will receive the nation’s highest military award next month for confronting a suicide bomber while serving in Afghanistan, a move that likely saved the lives of others in his patrol unit.
Florent Groberg, who was born in France and became a U.S. citizen the same year he graduated from Walter Johnson, joined the Army in 2008. President Obama will present Groberg with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony Nov. 12 at the White House, according to the Army.
In 2012, Groberg was serving as a commander for the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, according to the Army. On Aug. 8, 2012, Groberg and five other soldiers were providing a personal security detail for senior military leaders traveling to the provincial governor’s compound in the city of Asadabad.
At a small bridge over a canal, two men on motorcycles approached the patrol. The Army said the motorcycles were likely a distraction for two suicide bombers on foot who began approaching the soldiers.
Groberg said he spotted one of the suicide bombers walking backward toward the soldiers. Groberg rushed the suicide bomber, shoving him away from the unit. Groberg and Sgt. Andrew Mahoney grabbed the suicide bomber and pushed him to the ground.
The bomber’s vest detonated, killing three American military officials and a Foreign Service officer.
Groberg lost about half of his left calf muscle and suffered significant nerve damage, a blown ear drum and a mild traumatic brain injury because of the explosion.
According to the Army, Groberg’s actions saved others in the unit. The Army says the explosion caused the second suicide bomber, hidden behind a small structure near the road, to detonate his vest prematurely and before he could reach the soldiers.
“It was the worst day of my life, because even though we defeated the enemy, I lost four of my brothers,” Groberg said in a video the Army released Wednesday upon the announcement that Groberg would be awarded the Medal of Honor.
“This medal is not about me. It’s about the four individuals that I lost. It’s about them,” said Groberg, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area and works as a civilian employee for the Department of Defense. “It’s about their families. It’s about true heroes that sacrificed everything for their families.”
