025 - Flo Groberg
For Episode 025, Florent “Flo” Groberg shares his very American stories of service, sacrifice, family, and the four men who are forever linked to his life.
Flo talks with Jason and Rich about his upbringing in France and family in Algeria, the long line of warriors and patriots he comes from, including his adoptive father Larry Groberg who has his own interesting stories of struggle and international adventures. Flo speaks earnestly about what excited him most about coming to the US, the differences in lifestyle, and his rage over the 9/11 attacks -- just 5 months after he became a naturalized citizen -- ultimately leading to his decision to finish what he started at the University of Maryland (where he ran track and cross country) before following his calling to join the Army.
Flo was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2012. He explains the events of August 8, 2012 in Asadabad, the eeriness of the day and the “scripted feeling” of walking patrol en route to a high-level meeting when a man approached strangely. Only after tackling the man away from the patrol did Flo realize he was wearing a suicide vest which detonated and killed Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Griffin, Air Force Maj. Walter David Gray, Army Maj. Thomas Kennedy, and USAID foreign service officer Ragaei Abdelfattah. Flo’s actions -- his 8 seconds of courage -- spared many others. Flo himself was badly wounded and spent the next three years recovering and undergoing surgeries at Walter Reed Medical Center and was medically retired in July of 2015.
On November 12, 2015, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award. Flo has dedicated his life to being a courier of the medal and the stories of the men lost. He speaks about that mission, the responsibilities of a public life, his wife Carsen, and how he uses reading and understanding history to deal with his trauma and the loss of the career he loved, all with his deep love and patriotism for America and the people who serve her values and missions.
Links:
“8 Seconds of Courage” by Flo Groberg and Tom Sileo