Is my pleasure and honor to invite to the it is my pleasure and honor to invite the podium Vice President for programs and the chair of the planning committee. For all of your hard work. [applause] good afternoon. Everybody well fed . Joining us for lunch today is senior fellow and director of military veterans at the center for new american security. His research focuses with military personnel with the structure and readiness issues and relations most recent article what america owes his veterans is published the Current Issue of foreign affairs. As an advisor to the state department. As a civilian working in the private sector currently teaching as an adjunct professor today with the says a moderator so as he makes his way to the age let me introduce flo grober groberg. Born in paris and in 2001 a naturalized american system after which heth became flo groberg twice to point to afghanistan now during the second appointment that he tackled the suspicious local man setting off his suicide vest. Four died but many were spared but captain groberg spent three years in recovery and with his book 8 seconds of courage available after lunch recounts his early life and encourager brought him to take that brief action to save those many lives. How can we think a man whose own sense of responsibility inspired him to take that action . Pe perhaps obama had the right idea read in 2015 on veterans day he awarded our nations highest military honor, the congressional medal of honor prominently displayed to captain groberg the first immigrant to be recognize since the vietnam war. [applause] thank you for being here with us. It is an honor and a privilege one of the things i take away from her book is despite the battle and your bravery to be down to earth there is one that crystallizes that maybe you could tell everybody about that day . Left left left max. My first two were afghanistan to pass out these business cards and the point was if you saw that salamander they came into your village to threaten you just call the number on the back of the card and let us know. 75 could not cannot read so that is a problem. But the best part that is funny we put theso translators phone numbers so the locals figured if we appear to be healthy them we call them and they come if they think we are friends they will give us fuel or build us a wall. They are smart so they called one night to say the taliban is here creating havoc so we took off to the village but long story short the taliban was never there but we are knocking on doors one lady open the door it is the middle the night she is mad at us so you are still eating so. [laughter] that then we will dump it in there i fell in that up to my chest. Not realizing what i was in and smelling it im asking for help and they said no. You are on your own you are walking back left left they were serious. Im sorry sometimes there are good ideas but that is not one. Anan so with an unusual story how you came to the army is striking how did you come to be an army officer . I was adopted and he came here and we moved to bethesda maryland but my uncle who was the imam came in the late 80s early 90s to that part of the world but my uncle thought obviously this was wrong and did not represent anything he was preaching so like many others he put on the uniform and fought but february 1996 was shot and beheaded and put in a box and sent back to my grandfather. I compare what happens then to what is happening around the world right now ac boko haram that took 300 people people but then we moved to the kardashian kardashians. If it happens at home it is on cnn. But that is what bothered me as a child such evil could be happening nobody talks about it. So my catalyst was 911 when the same individualsoo create terror to my newly adopted country. My only solution was to join the military. We are lucky you did. You dont just choose the army the hardest part and go to ranger school. What are those experiences . The person was a combination look at my father andue mother my family and peers and High School Coaches and university of maryland. As a platoon leader and with these experiences allowed me to make that decision that you talk about trading but i wrote my first chapter one of the most significant experiences in my life from ranger school. But when i chose infantry is a path but i never realized what it was until i got there. No joke. [laughter] what is the story . 52 days of training you eat two meals a day maybe sleep an average of a couple of hours a night it weighs approximately 100 pounds going to hundred 50 miles with the terrain between georgia to have that responsibility and we had that death march and you just keep going up and down. I never really last the equipment but i was draw on dragging it. It change my life because that is not the point physically with defeat but you are hungry. But when you havent slept more than five hours in three days and carry the weight and lead men into action. And then to have integrity when no one is watching . So to choose between eating and sleeping . I had no idea. In 25ef minutes you get to sleep or eat. I would each. I was hungry. So i also learned about myself and what it takes to be a leader in combat. There is that reality. To understand the strengths and weaknesses. So lets go to afghanistan 2012 when did you deploy and what was the job . And in the Eastern Province of guinness and. But this was unbelievable. For six months i got to ride in helicopters. This was powerful and incredible. With a completely different perspective. But this. In the eastern part of afghanistan and on august 8 your mission was take us from their. This is my first to her. So they wanted to run a security meeting for 30 minutes. He made his own schedule. He didnt want to go. Because then they become a threat. Then a target. We hadnt gone in quite a few weeks. But then the next day we decided to fly out that the unit called 15 minutes prior. So i had to break a commanders and a couple of individuals to majors and a team of six including myself so they were pushing away so with that you need to have some patience to pick your target accordingly. So they thought it was christmas in august. They had two suicide bombers. They came at us with motorcycles. I did not Pay Attention to them at the time i didnt know this group of people. I wanted them to make the patrol look bigger. They did one heckuva job. The point guy which forced them to just mount and run away. But that is what they wanted at that point they came out oftu the structure clean shaven walking backward. ,i identified him i didnt know what was wrong with him but then a he did a 180degree turn than a 90degree turn away reached him and hit him and grabbed him realized he had the suicide vest so you dont think about that but my goal coming back from deployment that you have to be pretty darn good and trying to compete to make it there. I look good. But guess what . That makes me think maybe i was not lifting enough left left he was not big lets be honesten i am not a big guy. I looked back like come on. But then hed needed. Lung dash detonated. No matter what he was going to die that day so when he hit the ground the trigger came out ofen his hand. You lost four comrades that day. You were grievously wounded and a number of your comrades. You wake up intermittently and finally you wake up and who was there . But most important i lost four individuals i would do everything in the world to bring back his men were nowhere near the bottom but for some odd reason they were picked and i am a Firm Believer that they were protecting me and our family butw will at my feet and killed four others . It doesnt make sense. But my injuries were there but i woke up i was on drugs at that point and i see a figure in front of me. It has Hair Everywhere im so proud to meet you. You are a hero. Who is this guy . Are you the guy from corn the rock bandly from the 90s . Are you jonathan . He said yes. Why are you here . [laughter] and that was one of the coolest experiences. He was out there so if you are hit that is the first stop before you go home so he was supporting us. I said ii was hallucinating. If i was dreaming about corn my goodness such a small world. Now he wants to do another uso to her. You go from being trakstar and you are pretty banged up with the journey ahead. What is that like . I am impressed with the grit and the perseverance. To be honest it was not easy at first. With guilt they call it a mild concussion place at a really good concussion because i cannot remember. They give you math equations how many quarters in a dollar. I would look down like i was never good at math left g left you got me. One plus one . But my brain was not working. I can look at a giraffe and know internally what it is but i did not know what it is. It was severe. So you add morphine and benadryl to sleep at night and you close the door and turn off the lights and the demons would play games and they had one hell of a cocktail to support their mission. So for months i was really struggling because really you are defeated with no reason to go on. It is beyond depression when i talk i hear about these veterans it is a reminder when people asked high lung how or why . No enemy has ever been as strong. Think about that every time i went out when i was fighting them that night it is incredible what they can do i underestimated they have everything going for them. Not to be a superstar but in april 2012 who came into my room with four prosthetics he could rewire me listening to me to give me advice and also a reality check. That is what i needed. Everybody has a trigger that me it wasnt that i was a failure because four people were killed i could not get that throughik my own head he said open your eyes stop being weak be humble and see what is around you. But it is so personal. To honor your brother and your families. Now you are with the boeing company. Why is that so important . The u first one is a young man to serve my country to avenge my uncle. That is what i came out with i went in with hate and anger that i realized i was getting other people killed. With the love of brotherhood and sisterhood. Trust me that you believe in god. I have met some atheist and when things go wrong like whoever you are. Please help. So to me i wish i could have been in the military longer i am just grateful for the opportunity. Second, i never realized what they did. I did not like to jump out of airplanes but i was always scared but here i am fat when i came here with the culture and the leadership and the people out of a company of 140,000 to have such a great impact they want to give back to our community to the funding and the resources to make a difference it is unbelievable. So it was Just Announced two weeks ago that we gave. To support the Veterans Community activities and environment and now do 25 million. It isnt just about giving money. Everybody can do that. But to go out there to make a difference. 1. 75million hours for our vehicles over the next five years. So if you add to that funding bring in the expertise that is how you make a difference. In every session i said we cannot accomplish what we want to do without spearheading this mission. We just did a great 13 years and 5 million to 250,000 to give them the opportunity for the transition so they are ready. All the medicalal services. That is how you save lives to bring that number down to zero. If you give them an opportunity with Mental Health issues do not give them a handout i am pretty sure we can take care of ourselves but not alone. He knows me. One year from today i will be married to my best friend b17. I want to thank you for your service i have also lost family i also want to ask you do you you have concerns . I hear after it is prescribed the addiction start. Im not a physician or doctor but i can that it was real and scary. I never understood anything about addiction. Benadryl is a horrible drug by the way. I could not go to bed without it. It got to the point where at night i would go to my computer i found that it was not legal but i was so addicted i told the doctors and they helped me get through it so with the multiple surgeries they said no on my chart so i went through some withdrawal but you are absolutely right. S the listen to the leadership i probably had 600 pills of morphine in my drawer at home. Once we are done to get a bcertain amount of pills if we dont use them to bring them back do you think a Wounded Warrior will do that . I dont know when the patent will kick in. I will wait. I was lucky i am actually allergic to morphine makes me itch and go crazy so after a month or two after that i had no choice so that is something that the military is looking at doing everything they can in their power to come up with a great solution but we still have to add that medication but we have to be more responsible on both o side. Fellow Wounded Warrior, could you comment on the lives of the medal of honor recipient . Have you been to the could take on Kentucky Derby . [laughter] absolutely. And ive been to the preakness often. But the medal of honor life is what you make of it. In a society where we do nothing. To go through whatever they went through and dont want to be associated with anything. And others are political. My day to day schedule i love that i work for a company that supports me and the foundation but here is the platform that represents to represent every Service Member that ever puts on the uniform. I have a response ability that i do some good behind it. To support our military and nation to the best of my ability. Maybe 15 or 20 days per year i am on the road every week so what i am doing supportss the battle and the company i have the greatest job in the world to get back to be part of the greatest solution to make positive to to peoples lives. Im from Colorado Springs thank you for your service it is a trite statement but especially for your Service Since afghanistan because you really are a wonderful role model Colorado Springs is a growing homeless problem with veterany or army or military presence this is a National Problem and through your foundation with any outside of how we deal with homelessness especially veterans . First of all i was stationed out there homelessness has been an incredible problem for our country. There is an issue with veterans so what we need to do is make sure for supporting these folks to get housing and opportunities for jobs. It is hard to focus just on veterans and redo empathized to every group we want to make sure we target veterans that we know a large portion our veterans i think it has a National Initiative to make sure we make a a difference. They are homeless free in virginia. I dont know what that truly means that if there is one that that is one too many but we have to go out there with engagement and to work together. So what i want to create is an umbrella. Io i will not give you one dollar unless youre ready to collaborate with other organizations in our community or share failures or success it is the only way to do it. We have a lot of money to pass out. So if you forget that specific initiative then our dollars go nowhere. Homelessness has been around forever it is difficult to end it completely my own personal opinion there are those who want to be homeless. They love their life now. They know where to go and they are comfortable with that. It is a lifestyle that they want there are thousands and thousands along the opportunity to get back on their feet as a functioning member of society and it will be a fight. I am from the World Affairs council im just wondering to the extent of those who are not veterans as well with the services you are providing. And there are thousands of people homeless so what is the scope of this problem . The first is working with the transition. And the programming for transitioning p to put their experiences on paper while building the network. We dont just want this to be jobs. To transition those Service Members that the problem is the retention rates are really bad. And that is because we dont know what we are getting ourselves into. To understand the reality of Corporate America so we try to help that program right here with those initiatives. 250,000 Service Members so you add that number. I dont care if you are a fourstar general or a fighter pilot. They say i just know what i will do after this. I really dont know. To change the course of the army that what is going on . I dont know. Come on. But he needed that support and to connect with those Service Organizations externally to continue making a difference. And you can attest to that and it isnt just veteran but to focus on the veteran side right now. Thank you for your service and sharing your insights today. [applause]