{"id":7422,"date":"2026-07-14T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7422"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:30:00","slug":"va-buries-vietnam-veteran-hero-garfield-langhorn-in-national-shrine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7422","title":{"rendered":"VA buries Vietnam Veteran hero Garfield Langhorn in national shrine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-07-14T13:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of Long Island residents gathered on July 3, 2026, to honor the life of Army Medal of Honor recipient Pfc. Garfield M. Langhorn, who was reinterred at Calverton National Cemetery, New York. He was killed in action in Vietnam, Jan. 15, 1969. He was 20 years old.<\/p>\n

Langhorn was attached to the 17th Cavalry Regiment, near Plei Djereng in Pleiku Province when his platoon was sent to rescue the pilots of a downed Cobra helicopter. Upon arrival, they found both pilots dead. As the men were taking the bodies back to the pickup site, they came under attack. An enemy grenade was thrown feet away from wounded soldiers. Langhorn threw himself on the grenade, saving the lives of his comrades. This act of heroism earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor award one year later.<\/p>\n

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Photos via Emil Breitenbach, Calverton National Cemetery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Langhorn was initially buried at Riverhead Cemetery so his father could personally care for the plot.\u00a0Calverton National Cemetery<\/a>\u00a0opened a decade after the soldier\u2019s death. The transfer of his remains to Calverton was arranged by retired Army Vietnam Veteran helicopter pilot Timothy Dahlen.<\/p>\n

With the consent of Langhorn\u2019s surviving siblings, Dahlen obtained a court order authorizing the exhumation and reinterment. The family\u2019s support for the move was first reported by\u00a0the Riverhead News-Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Langhorn was a devout Christian and active member of First Baptist Church until joining the Army. His local community has long celebrated his life, naming the local chapter of VVA after him: the PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, in Suffolk County, established Oct. 16, 1982.<\/p>\n

Other recognition for Langhorn includes:<\/p>\n