Langhorn was a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. Born in Cumberland, Virginia, Langhorn was living in Brooklyn, New York, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1968. He was a radio operator with Troop C, 7th Squadron (Airmobile), 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade. On January 15, 1969, Langhorn's unit attempted to rescue the crew of a downed American helicopter in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam. After finding the crash site and the bodies of the dead crewmen, the unit turned back, only to be attacked by North Vietnamese forces. During the battle, Langhorn threw himself on an enemy hand grenade that had been thrown near several wounded soldiers. He was killed instantly, but succeeded in protecting the lives of his comrades. Langhorn was initially buried at Riverhead Cemetery in Riverhead, New York. In 2010, the Riverhead, New York post office building was named the Private First Class Garfield M. Langhorn Post Office Building in his honor. His remains were relocated to Calverton National Cemetery at the request of his family in July 2026. 

Medal of Honor Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. Langhorn distinguished himself while serving as a radio operator with Troop C, near Plei Djereng in Pleiku province. Pfc. Langhorn's platoon was inserted into a landing zone to rescue 2 pilots of a Cobra helicopter shot down by enemy fire on a heavily timbered slope. He provided radio coordination with the command-and-control aircraft overhead while the troops hacked their way through dense undergrowth to the wreckage, where both aviators were found dead. As the men were taking the bodies to a pickup site, they suddenly came under intense fire from North Vietnamese soldiers in camouflaged bunkers to the front and right flank, and within minutes they were surrounded. Pfc. Langhorn immediately radioed for help from the orbiting gunships, which began to place minigun and rocket fire on the aggressors. He then lay between the platoon leader and another man, operating the radio and providing covering fire for the wounded who had been moved to the center of the small perimeter. Darkness soon fell, making it impossible for the gunships to give accurate support, and the aggressors began to probe the perimeter. An enemy hand grenade landed in front of Pfc. Langhorn and a few feet from personnel who had become casualties. Choosing to protect these wounded, he unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade, scooped it beneath his body and absorbed the blast. By sacrificing himself, he saved the lives of his comrades. Pfc. Langhorn's extraordinary heroism at the cost of his life was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Reinterment ceremony for Garfield Langhorn, July 2026.

President Richard Nixon presents Garfield M. Langhorn Sr. with his son’s Medal of Honor, as members of the Langhorn family look on, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 7, 1970. Source: Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library

Langhorn's father receives the MOH from President Nixon.

A bust of Army Private 1st Class Garfield M. Langhorn stands near the town hall of his hometown, Riverhead, N.Y. Langhorn posthumously received the Medal of Honor for sacrificing his life to save others in Vietnam.

A bust of Army Private 1st Class Garfield M. Langhorn, recipient of the Medal of Honor

GARFIELD M LANGHORN

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