>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
MY NEXT GUEST JUST RECEIVED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA.
THE COUNTRY'S HIGHEST HONOR FOR BATTLEFIELD BRAVERY.
PLEASE WELCOME ARMY CAPTAIN FLORENT GROBERG.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE) WELCOME. CAPTAIN, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.
>> Stephen: YOU ARE THE TENTH LIVING SERVICE MEMBER FROM
AFGHANISTAN TO BE AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR WHICH IS THE
HIGHEST AWARD FOR BATTLEFIELD BRAVERY.
YOU TACKLED A SUICIDE BOMBER AND PULLED HIM AWAY FROM A SECURITY
DETAIL THAT YOU WERE ON IN AFGHANISTAN.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT
DAY?
>> YEAH, IT WAS AUGUST 8th, 20126789 I WAS IN CHARGE OF A
PERSONAL SECURITY DETAIL FOR AT THE TIME CORNELL MINGUS.
AND WE WERE IN EASTERN PROVINCE OF KU NAR, AFGHANISTAN.
WE WERE GOING OVER FOR A SECURITY MEETING, WHEN MY TEAM
AND I WERE ENCOUNTERED TWO MOTORCYCLISTS COMING TOWARDS US.
WHICH WAS UNUSUAL.
SO THE AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY ACTUALLY DID A GOOD JOB OF
POINTING THE RIFLES.
YELLING AT THEM.
>> Stephen: THESE GUYS WERE ON THE ROAD AHEAD OF YOU.
>> RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.
ONCE THE MOTORCYCLES WERE THERE, THEY DISMOUNTED AND STARTED
RUNNING AWAY.
I TURNED TO MY LEFT, THERE WAS A GUY CAME OUT NOF WHERE.
WALKING BACKWARDS, PARALLEL TO OUR PATROL AND SO HE WAS A
THREAT, AT THIS POINT.
>> Stephen: WALKING BACKWARDS.
>> WALKING BACKWARDS.
HE DOES A 180 AND AS SOON AS HE DOES A 180 HE CUTS TOWARDS US.
THAT IS WHEN I LEFT MY POSITION.
HE FOLLOWED ME AND YOU KNOW, YOU JUST REACT.
AND MY JOB IS TO PROTECT THE BOSS.
AND PROTECT THE VIPs.
AND SO HE WAS A THREAT.
YOU HAVE TO ASSESS THE THREAT.
I HIT HIM MY RIFLE, GRABBED THE VEST.
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU KNOW HE HAD A SUICIDE VEST ON.
>> WHEN I HIT HIM.
THAT IS WHEN I KNEW.
CUZ I FELT IT.
I TOOK MY RIFLE AND HIT HIM.
AT THAT POINT I'M LIKE OKAY, THIS IS REAL.
SO THE ONLY THING YOU GOT TO DO IN THIS CASE IS TO TRY TO GET
HIM AWAY AS FAR AS POSSIBLE FROM THE BOSS BECAUSE YOU KNOW HE'S
DANGEROUS.
SO YOU KNOW, YOU JUST REACT.
AND GRABBED HIM.
THREW HIM, WHICH HE-- .
>> Stephen: AND WE'VE JUST SEEN ATTACKS IN PARIS AND
SUICIDE VESTS HAVE BEEN USED THERE.
AND SUICIDE VESTS HAVE BEEN USED ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
WHERE DID YOU FIND IT IN YOU TO GRAB SOMEONE THAT YOU KNEW WAS
WEARING A DEADLY WEAPON AND DRAG HIM AWAY KNOWING IT COULD
DETONATE.
>> IT IS JUST THE WAY WE ARE, THE WAY WE ARE DESIGNED, THE WAY
WE TRAIN, THE WAY WE LOVE EACH OTHER.
IT'S BROTHERHOOD.
IT WAS REAL EASY FOR ME TO DO ANYTHING OUT THERE FOR MY GUY,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE CORNELL WHO I CONSIDERED LIKE A SECRETARY
FATHER TO ME.
HE MENTORED ME, SO AT THIS POINT IF ARE YOU OUT THERE EVERY DAY,
YOU TRAIN FOR YEARS, YOU LIVE TOGETHER.
YOU GO THROUGH A LOT OF CRAZY THINGS TOGETHER.
AND YOU ARE WILLING TO DO ANYTHING FOR THESE GUYS.
(APPLAUSE).
>> Stephen: THERE WERE 28 PEOPLE ON THAT PATROL THAT DAY.
24 OF THEM SURVIVED.
FOUR PEOPLE DID NOT.
I BELIEVE THE PICTURES RIGHT HERE.
WE HAVE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR KEVIN GRIFFIN, MAJOR TOM
KENNEDY, MAIJ DAVID GRAY, AND RAGIE ANDEL FATAH AU SA FOREIGN
SERVICE OFFICER.
DO YOU THINK OF THOSE PEOPLE?
ARE THEY ALWAYS ON YOUR MIND THE ONES THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT?
>> EVERY DAY.
I HAVE THIS BRACELET HERE AS YOU CAN SEE.
I WILL SHOW IT TO YOU IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT.
AND ON THIS BRACELET YOU HAVE THE GRIFFIN, GRAY, MAJOR
KENNEDY, ALL FOUR I.D. AND I WAKE UP EVERY MORNING AND I
THINK ABOUT THEM.
I WAKE UP, I GO TO SLEEP EVERY NIGHT, I THINK ABOUT THEM.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, I WAS GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.
AND I WOULD DO EVERYTHING AND GIVE BACK EVERYTHING TO HAVE
THEM BACK.
I WOULD TRADE PLACES WITH THEM.
AND ANY SECOND.
SO MY GOAL IN LIFE IS TO REMEMBER THEM AND SPEAK ABOUT
THEM LIKE YOU ARE DOING, BY I'M SO GRATEFUL, SO GRATEFUL.
AND BE A BELTER PERSON CUZ I GET TO LIVE FOR THEM AND FOR THE
REST OF MY LIFE, THEY ARE EVERY DAY THEY WILL BE NEXT TO ME,
SUPPORTING ME.
AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT I DO MY BEST TO HONOR THEM AND THEIR
FAMILY (APPLAUSE).
>> Stephen: WHEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE GOING TO SURVIVE?
I ASSUME YOU WERE KNOCKED OUT BY THE BLAST.
>> I WAS.
I WAS THROWN ABOUT 15 TO 20 FEET.
SO I CAME BACK TO IT A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER.
I WAS IN SHOCK.
SO YOU KIND OF-- IT COMES BACK TO YOU AND ARE YOU THERE LAYING
ON THE GROUND.
I HAD AN ASSAULT BACKPACK THAT WAS KEEPING ME UP A LITTLE BIT.
AND I SAW MY LEG AND I REALIZED THAT I WAS PROBABLY GOING TO
LOSE IT.
SO AT THAT POINT I JUST, YOU KNOW, I ASSESSED THE SITUATION,
MORE WOUNDS.
AND I LOOKED AT MY LEG.
I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE STEPPED ON AN IED.
SO THAT MEANS THAT THIS IS PROBABLY AN AMBUSH AND THERE IS
TBING TO BE SMALL ARMS FIRE UP NEXT.
SO I LOOKED FOR MY RIFLE, COULDN'T FIND IT TOOK MY PISTOL
OUT, MADE SURE IT WAS LOCK AND LOADED AND IF ANYBODY CAME I
WOULD DO MY BEST TO SHOOT THEM BUT I HAD TO GET OUT OF THE KILL
ZONE, SO I STARTED DRAGGING MYSELF.
BUT I WAS LOSING A LOT OF BLOOD.
THE REASON I MADE IT IS BECAUSE BRINKS RAN, PICKED ME UP,
GRABBED ME, DROPPED ME TO A DITCH WHERE MY MEDIC WITH A TORN
ACL GAICH ME A TOURNIQUET AND KEPT ME ALIVE.
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND YOU WERE MED EVACKED TO GERMANY AND
WHEN YOU WOKE UP, YOU THOUGHT THAT THE PERSON SPEAKING TO YOU
AT YOUR BEDSIDE WHO WAS A NURSE, I UNDERSTAND OR A DOCTOR, YOU
THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE LEAD SINGER OF KORN.
(LAUGHTER) THIS IS WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU
WERE SEEING WHEN YOU WOKE UP.
WHAT ARE THE SANITARY STANDARDS IN GERMAN HOSPITALS?
(LAUGHTER) CUZ THAT WOULD TERRIFY ME IF I
SAW THAT.
YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT WERE YOU LOOKING AT THE LEAD SINGER OF
KORN.
>> IT WAS HIM.
IT WAS-- IT WAS HIM.
"WASHINGTON POST," YOU KNOW, DID THIS STORY AND HE REMEMBERS THE
DAY.
WE WERE UP THERE DOING A CONCERT FOR THE TROOPS.
>> Stephen: IT WAS THE LEAD SINGER OF KORN?
>> YEAH, YEAH!
(APPLAUSE) >> WE'RE LIKE BEST FRIENDS.
>> Stephen: WOW.
ONE LAST THING, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WERE BORN IN FRANCE.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND THAT YOU SPEAK FRENCH.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO THE
PEOPLE OF PARIS.
>> YES, YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY IT IN FRENCH FRK THAT'S OKAY.
(SPEAKING FRENCH).
>> Stephen: CAPTAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AND THANK YOU
FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
CAPTAIN FLORENT GROBERG, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT.