Florent Groberg

Retired U.S. Army Captain Florent “Flo” Groberg was born in Poissy, France, on May 8, 1983. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on February 27, 2001, and graduated from Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, in June of the same year. Groberg attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he competed in varsity track and cross country, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice in May 2006. His military career began in July 2008 when he entered the Army and attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, receiving his commission as an infantry officer in December 2008. After completing specialized training, including Infantry Officer Basic Course, Mechanized Leaders Course, U.S. Army Airborne, and U.S. Army Ranger Schools, he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, as a platoon leader.

Groberg’s deployments to Afghanistan with Task Force Lethal as part of Operation Enduring Freedom X and XIII involved critical roles. In November 2009, he deployed to the Pech River Valley, Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. Upon his return in June 2010, he continued as a platoon leader before serving as an infantry company executive officer from October 2010 to November 2011. He was then assigned as the brigade personal security detachment commander for 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, deploying again to Kunar Province in February 2012. He was promoted to captain in July 2012.

On August 8, 2012, Captain Groberg distinguished himself by thwarting a suicide bomber attack in Asadabad, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Serving as a personal security detachment commander, he identified and physically engaged a suicide bomber, preventing a more devastating explosion. This action led to the premature detonation of a second device, saving numerous lives. Groberg sustained severe injuries, including significant damage to his left calf muscle, nerve damage, a blown eardrum, and a mild traumatic brain injury, necessitating extensive recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center until May 2015. He was medically retired as a captain on July 23, 2015, and is a Medal of Honor recipient, awarded on November 12, 2015, by President Barack Obama. Groberg currently resides in the National Capital Region and serves as a civilian employee of the Department of Defense.