Riverhead bestows new honor on hero Vietnam War vet Garfield Langhorn

A Riverhead-born Vietnam War veteran and Medal of Honor recipient who gave his life to save fellow soldiers during battle will have the second Friday of every October in Riverhead named in his honor.

The Riverhead Town Board voted 5-0 at its Oct. 4 regular meeting to designate the second Friday of every October as “PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Day” in memory of Pfc. Garfield M. Langhorn, a 1967 Riverhead High School graduate and Army infantryman.

Langhorn, who served as a radio operator with Troop C, 7th Squadron (airmobile), 17th Cavalry, 1st Aviation Brigade, was killed on Jan. 15, 1969, while attempting to aid two U.S. airmen whose helicopter had tumbled into a ravine in Pleiku, Vietnam. During an enemy ambush, Langhorn threw himself on top of a grenade to save the lives of 20 fellow wounded soldiers. He was 20 years old.

Town Councilman Ken Rothwell said because of Langhorn’s sacrifice, it ensured that generations of descendants of his fellow soldiers — including children and grandchildren — were alive today.

“That’s all part of Garfield, all those people that he saved,” Rothwell said of Langhorn. “I guarantee that every day, every one of them think of him, and they thank him for his sacrifice.”

Joseph Garfield Reid, Langhorn’s nephew, and Tanya Marshall, Langhorn’s niece, were among several speakers at the Oct. 4 meeting who thanked the town for honoring their uncle’s legacy.

“There’s not a lot of words that I can really say other than people always ask me why I go by ‘Garfield,’ and that it gives me the opportunity to tell his story,” Reid said. “We have the greatest gratitude and thank you for this.”

Patrick K. Burke, principal at Pulaski Street School, said that for the past 18 years, the school has hosted an annual essay contest where students write about the qualities that best highlight Langhorn’s character. Burke thanked the board for designating a day to honor the veteran’s spirit, calling Langhorn “very important to our community and to our building.”

“He’s a true hero not only for Long Island, but he’s a true hero for our building and we are so grateful, so I want to say thank you for doing this for us, for the community, for the district, and most importantly, for the family,” Burke said. “And I think we’re all kind of family after this.”

Monroe Hale, first cousin to Langhorn, said that in a time of great political divide in the country that it was wonderful that the town had decided to honor his cousin, “our brother, as we knew him.”

“At this time how things are going in this country, it’s good to be here —  it doesn’t matter your race, creed, religion, political party or whatever — to honor a person, my cousin, who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of this country,” Hale said.