Retired U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg was awarded the nation's highest military honor on Thursday for heroically tackling a suicide bomber while serving in Afghanistan in 2012.

While speaking at the White House, President Barack Obama described the former Army captain as "a great solider," whose "actions prevented an even greater catastrophe."

"A day after Veterans Day, we honor this American veteran," the president said Thursday morning.

The president presented him with the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry while serving as a personal security detachment commander for Task Force Mountain Warrior. In turn, Capt. Groberg became the 10th living recipient of the Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor is given to military personnel for "meritorious conduct [that] must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life."

During the ceremony, Obama recounted how Capt. Groberg saved his fellow soldiers in a deadly attack in Kunar Province that killed four people on Aug. 8, 2012. Though he survived attacks by two suicide bombers, the 32-year-old was badly wounded and spent almost three years recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He also underwent 33 surgeries.

The president also commended the other servicemen present during the incident, including those who helped save Capt. Groberg's life.

"Those are the lives Flo helped to save," the president said, referring to those in Capt. Groberg's group. "And we are honored that many of them are here today. Brigadier General James Mingus. Sergeant Andrew Mahoney, who was awarded a Silver Star for joining Flo in confronting the attacker. Sergeant First Class Brian Brink, who was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for pulling Flo from the road. Specialist Daniel Balderrama, the medic who helped to save Flo's leg. Private First Class Benjamin Secor and Sergeant Eric Ochart, who also served with distinction on that day."

According to the Army News Service, Capt. Groberg said the attack occurred when "a man came out of a building to our left walking backwards. It was eerie and looked suspicious. I yelled at him and he turned around immediately and then started walking towards us. He looked like a young man with a beard, wearing man-jams and dark clothing. He didn't appear to be himself that day ... most likely drugged."

After he noticed a suspicious bulge underneath the man's clothing, Capt. Groberg and his platoon sergeant immediately rushed the man.

"Sgt. Mahoney to my left moved in with me and struck him, then Mahoney and I threw him. I pushed him as hard as I could away from our patrol, because I felt he was a threat. I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't hurt anyone," Capt. Groberg recalled.

Shortly thereafter, the man detonated a suicide bomb that left Capt. Groberg seriously injured. Moments later, a second suicide bomber blew himself up, resulting in the deaths four Americans: U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin J. Griffin, U.S. Army Maj. Thomas E. Kennedy, U.S. Air Force Maj. Walter D. Gray, and USAID Foreign Service Officer Ragaei Abdelfattah.

"I couldn't remember what happened. I thought I had stepped on an IED [improvised explosive device]. My fibia was sticking out of my left leg, my skin was melting, and there was blood everywhere," Capt. Groberg, who was on his second tour in Afghanistan, told the paper. "I checked myself for internal injuries and started to drag myself out of what was probably a kill zone for small-arms fire."

President Obama praised the Army captain's actions and thanked him for his service to the nation.

"That's the nature of courage -- not being unafraid, but confronting fear and danger and performing in a selfless fashion," the president said. "He showed his guts, he showed his training; how he would put it all on the line for his teammates. That's an American we can all be grateful for. It's why we honor Captain Florent Groberg today."

Capt. Groberg was born in France and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2001, the same year he graduated from high school in Maryland. He then went on to graduate from the University of Maryland, before entering the Army in 2008.

Visit the Army's page on Capt. Groberg to learn more about his ordeal and his unit.