Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh frequently talks to his team about bravery, pulling examples from every source he can find and often the military.
On Sunday, Harbaugh had one of the best examples on his own sideline.
Florent Groberg, a former Maryland resident and University of Maryland track & field and cross country runner, is only the 10th living service member to be given the Medal of Honor – the military’s highest award for battlefield bravery – for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama personally presented Groberg with the award on Nov. 12. At M&T Bank Stadium, the now retired U.S. Army Captain was honored as the Ravens’ Hometown Hero.
“People are going to go home and be like, ‘Who’s this freak who did that stuff?’” Groberg said with a laugh.
“Then, when they see my story, they’ll understand who the four guys that I lost are. We have some incredible individuals who just don’t come home and have the opportunity to go to this game.”
On Aug. 8, 2012, Groberg had what he describes as “the worst day of my life,” when his unit was struck by two suicide bombers.
Groberg was in charge of a personal security detail in the eastern part of Kunar, Afghanistan, which was traveling with some high-ranking officials to a security briefing. It was then that Groberg noticed a man oddly walking backwards out of a building and toward his patrol.
Along with Sgt. Andrew Mahoney, Groberg sprinted to intercept the man. When Groberg hit the man with his gun, he felt a vest underneath his clothing.
Groberg quickly started pushing the bomber away from the patrol, trying to get him as far away from the other troops as possible. The man, however, had already armed the bomb. When the bomber fell to the ground, he let go of the trigger and detonated at Groberg’s feet.
Groberg said his split-second decision to risk his own life was “really nothing special.”
“You’ve got a job, and the job is to protect the boss,” he said. “You don’t think of the consequences of your actions. You volunteer for this, you’re selected for a special position and you go out and do it. If that means that I have to lay down my life for the people I was tasked to protect, then so be it. I picked that job and I love that job.”
Groberg was immediately knocked unconscious and thrown 15 to 20 feet in the air. After waking up, he looked down to see his fibula sticking out of his leg and blood everywhere. He lost nearly 50 percent of his calf and one of his ear drums was blown.
Groberg still had the presence of mind to try to protect his men from a follow-up attack. When the smoke cleared, he was calling out orders with his pistol drawn as he dragged his body out of the road. However, a second suicide bomber had also detonated nearby, killing four men in the patrol.
By pushing the man away from the troops and forcing the first detonation partly into the ground, Groburg saved lives while risking his own. An open-air detonation would have been much more deadly.
Groberg spent nearly three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center before retiring in July. The collegiate runner needed 33 surgeries to keep his badly injured leg and was visited in the hospital by Obama.
When Groberg went back to the White House, he walked in under his own power, a healed man.
He could hardly hold back his emotions, however, as President Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor with Gold Star Families in attendance. Gold Star Families is an organization founded in 2005 by individuals who lost family members in the Iraq War and are thus entitled to display a Gold Star.
“I’m just a courier,” Groberg said. “Standing up there, looking at those families, it’s hard. I’m over here being awarded for the worst day of my life while four incredible individuals lost their lives.”
The military and government have asked Groberg to represent the Army and his country by speaking across the country. He’s been on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and will soon be giving the commencement speech at his alma mater.
During this process, Groberg has been trying to figure out the best avenue to dedicate himself to making a difference. He doesn’t just want to shake hands, tell his story and go on his way.
“That’s not who I am or what I’m designed to do,” he said. “You have to find a positive in every negative, and when you’re given a second opportunity at life, you have to be better as an individual. You no longer live your life for yourself. You have a responsibility to give back, and I have a bigger mission now.”
On Sunday, Groberg gets to once again represent his country, then watch his favorite sport.
He admits he’s a Bears fan since he spent some of his formative younger years living in Chicago. Groberg was born in France and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001. His family moved from Chicago to Bethesda before Groberg went to Walter Johnson High School.
But Groberg has been to a number of Ravens games before, and he said he’s definitely rooting for an upset of the heavily-favored Seahawks.
“I love Harbaugh and the team has a winning tradition,” Groberg said. “Baltimore is a great city, so I love going to their games, and my mom is a huge, huge Ravens fan. I don’t know why, but she just loves the Ravens. I’m looking forward to an awesome football game.”
