Obama Awards Medal Of Honor To Retired Army Captain From Md.

WASHINGTON (WJZ) – There was a moving tribute inside the White House as a soldier from Maryland was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Alex Demetrick reports for WJZ.

Capt. Florent Groberg charged a suicide bomber to protect his fellow soldiers, deflecting much of the explosion that followed.

Groberg, a Maryland high school graduate, is being credited with saving fellow soldier's lives with his actions.

He was also badly injured in the attack, which killed four people.

The Medal of Honor ceremony for Groberg began three years ago in Afghanistan.

He led the charge on the suicide bomber, knocking him onto his chest.

"Flo was thrown some 20 feet and knocked unconscious," President Obama said at the ceremony.

The 32-year-old soldier spent nearly three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

He also spoke to WJZ about the loss of four soldiers killed in the blast and his gratitude for the medic who helped him.

"Specialist Balderrama saved my life," he said. "Incredible, incredible individual."

"Traumatic injuries and some lives lost," medic Daniel Balderrama said. "My job that day was to keep those people alive."

The medic and three others were praised by President Obama that day, and then Groberg was singled out.

"Because of his very worst day," said President Obama, "He managed to summon his very best. That's the nature of courage."

The ceremony concluded with Groberg giving honor to his fellow soldiers and their families.

"This medal doesn't belong to me," he said. "In my heart, in my opinion, it belongs to the guys I lost. It belongs to their families and I believe they're the true heroes in this story."

Thursday's ceremony at the White House marked the 10th time a living service member has received the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Seven more were posthumously awarded the medal.