Maryland Man To Receive Medal Of Honor Thursday
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- On Thursday, President Obama will award the nation's highest honor to a Maryland man.
Alex DeMetrick reports the Medal of Honor goes to a soldier who tackled a suicide bomber just before the blast.
There have been nine living recipients of the Medal of Honor from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the president called the tenth at his home in Bethesda, it came out of the blue.
"Well, yes. It's not every day you get a phone call on your cell phone from the president of the United States. It's definitely not every day that you hear something about the Medal of Honor," said Captain Florent Groberg.
Captain Groberg receives his Medal of Honor Thursday. Groberg was on his second tour in Afghanistan--part of a protection team for senior officers--when a man appeared out of nowhere.
"He did a 180 and turned towards us. I left my spot, I hit him with my rifle, grabbed him and we threw him to the ground," he said.
Captain Groberg called it an act of pure instinct. A second later: "He detonated," said Groberg.
Four fellow soldiers were killed, but others were saved.
Severely wounded, Captain Groberg underwent 33 surgeries before retiring from the Army in July.
While he alone receives the medal, Captain Groberg says it's really for more than just one man.
"This medal doesn't belong to me. In my heart, in my opinion, it belongs to the four guys that I lost and it belongs to their families. And I believe they're the true heroes in this story. From this day on, starting tomorrow, from that day on, I will always be living my life for them and try to be a better person. But that medal belongs to them," he said.
A graduate of the University of Maryland, Captain Groberg will begin civilian life with a job in the Pentagon. He says the job will enable him to continue to serve the country.