Nearly six decades after his death in Vietnam, Riverhead’s only Medal of Honor recipient may soon receive one final tribute — a place among fellow veterans at Calverton National Cemetery.
Army Pfc. Garfield Langhorn was 20 years old when he threw himself onto a grenade during a recovery mission on Jan. 15, 1969, sacrificing his life to save wounded soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the nation’s highest military honor the following year.
Pfc. Langhorn has been buried at Riverhead Cemetery since 1969, where his family chose a local resting place so his father could personally care for the plot.
Now, with the blessing of his surviving sisters, retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 and Master Aviator Timothy Dahlen is working to make that move happen.
“We are getting older now, and this may be the last time we get to see him honored like this,” said an emotional April Armstead, the youngest sister of Pfc. Langhorn.
Mr. Dahlen, a fellow Vietnam veteran and former helicopter pilot, said the effort is in the “final stretch,” pending final legal authorizations and required consents under state law.
Those remaining steps include an exhumation order from Riverhead Justice Court, notarized letters signed by Pfc. Langhorn’s sisters and approval from the cemeteries division of the state Health Department. Once the proper permit is secured, Tuthill-Mangano Funeral Home in Riverhead is expected to handle the disinterment and reburial free of charge.
When Mr. Dahlen first heard about Garfield Langhorn’s sacrifice, he could not stop thinking about his heroism. To him, Pfc. Langhorn’s story had gone largely unrecognized by the broader community, overshadowed by the political climate and anti-war movement of the era.
Over the years, Mr. Dahlen got to know members of the Langhorn family, including cousins of the late young veteran.
“I just started to get more of the story of Garfield Langhorn,” Mr. Dahlen said. “He was just a young kid, growing up into that war and didn’t think twice about what he did.”
Source: The Suffolk Times
