A new comic book in the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) long-running and very successful Medal of Honor series releases this week, honoring the sacrifice of Medal of Honor recipient Flo Groberg and four Americans who lost their lives during an attack in Afghanistan in 2012.
Groberg was born in France and became a naturalized U.S. citizen before joining the Army, attending Officer Candidate School, and commissioning as an Infantry officer. After graduating from Ranger School, Groberg was deployed with 4th Infantry Division to one of the hottest battlefields in the war, in the Pech River valley.
On his second deployment, Groberg was selected to lead a Personal Security Detachment (PSD) for a Colonel and six other senior leaders for a meeting at the provincial governor's compound.
On Aug. 8, 2012, Groberg led his PSD element across a bridge towards the governor's office when two motorcyclists abruptly abandoned their vehicle and fled on food. Groberg then noted an Afghan man walking backwards, in the direction of his patrol. Groberg moved to restrain the man, confirming that he was wearing a suicide vest.
Pushing the attacker away, the suicide vest was detonated, wounding Groberg and leading to the premature detonation of a second suicide bomber. While Groberg's instincts and attention to detail protected the patrol, four Americans were killed in the blast. Maj. Thomas Kennedy, Maj. Walter Gray, USAID foreign service officer Ragaei Abdelfattah, and Groberg's mentor Command Sergeant Major Kevin Griffin died from the explosion.
Losing a leg in the blast, Groberg struggled with survivor guilt while undergoing dozens of surgeries, but persevered. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2015 and today wears the medal in honor of the four men lost that day.
Written, drawn, and colored by comic book industry professionals who have worked for Marvel and DC Comics, they now turn their attention to real heroes in the Medal of Honor series which aims to introduce these stories of valor to a new and younger audience.
The comic is free to download and read at the AUSA website.