WASHINGTON, DC – On November 12, 2015, President Barack Obama will award Captain Florent A. Groberg, U.S. Army (Ret), the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. Captain Groberg will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a Personal Security Detachment Commander for Task Force Mountain Warrior, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division during combat operations in Asadabad, Kunar Province, Afghanistan on August 8, 2012.
Captain Groberg will be the tenth living recipient to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service.
PERSONAL BACKGROUND:
Captain Florent A. “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 2001.
Captain Groberg attended the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and competed in Track and Cross Country. In May 2006, he graduated from UMD with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Captain Groberg entered the Army in July 2008 and attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He received his commission as an Infantry Officer on December 4, 2008. After completing 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.
Captain Groberg deployed to Afghanistan’s Kunar Province in November 2009 and again in February 2012. In between deployments, he served as a Platoon Leader, Infantry Company Executive Officer and a Brigade Personnel Security Detachment Commander at Fort Carson.
At the time of his August 8, 2012 combat engagement, Captain Groberg was serving as a Personal Security Detachment Commander for Task Force Mountain Warrior, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. His heroic actions were performed in Asadabad, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. Injured during combat, he spent his recovery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center from August 2012 through May 2015 and was medically retired from Company B Warriors, Warrior Transition Battalion, on July 23, 2015.
Captain Groberg’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars; the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutists Badge, the Ranger Tab, and the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE MEDAL OF HONOR:
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 while:
engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or
serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.