Decades after his sacrifice in Vietnam, Pfc. Garfield M. Langhorn reinterred at Calverton National Cemetery

Nearly six decades after sacrificing his life to save his fellow soldiers, Pfc. Garfield M. Langhorn returned home to his final resting place.

Along the street named in his memory at Calverton National Cemetery, more than 200 people gathered Friday morning to honor the Riverhead native’s legacy. The Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipient’s remains were reinterred at the national cemetery after they had been buried at Riverhead Cemetery following his death in January 1969. He was 20 when he was killed in Vietnam.

The graveside service with full military honors allowed Langhorn's immediate and extended family to say goodbye once more and for a community to extend its gratitude on the eve of the nation's 250th anniversary.

For Venetia Lewis, of Riverhead, it was a chance to say goodbye for the first time. She was born in December 1968, just a month before her uncle died in Vietnam. She teared up as two military helicopters flew overhead during the flag-folding ceremony.

“It hit hard today,” she said. “It was emotional.”

Three military burial flags, folded 13 times, were presented to Langhorn’s sisters seated in the first row: Yvonne Reid, Anna Mack and April Armstead, who all live in Virginia.

Langhorn’s mother, Mary Jane Langhorn, died in 2019, and his father, Garfield Langhorn Sr., died in 2008.

“I wish my grandmother was here, and my grandfather, because this is something my grandmother would have wanted,” Lewis said.

Hero's sacrifice

Langhorn was drafted into the Army in 1968 and was engaged to his childhood sweetheart before he was deployed.

On Jan. 15, 1969, Langhorn was a radio operator on a mission to recover the bodies of two pilots whose helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. The platoon navigated a dense jungle to reach the wreckage site when they came under attack. Langhorn radioed for support from gunships above, but as darkness fell the planes could no longer help.

As the enemies closed in, a hand grenade landed in front of Langhorn. He threw himself on top to absorb the blast and protect the other soldiers around him.

“In a war against oppression, Garfield Langhorn willingly sacrificed himself, and his very promising life that was yet to be, to save his fellow soldiers,” said Anne Ellis, executive director of Calverton National Cemetery.

For years, Timothy Dahlen thought Langhorn deserved to be buried in Calverton. More than 300,000 service members and family members are interred on the property's meticulous grounds.

About 50 years ago, he met a schoolmate of Langhorn’s and learned the story of Suffolk County's only Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient. About two years later, as he learned more about Langhorn, he began to wonder why the soldier was not buried in Calverton.

The cemetery, however, only opened in the decade after Langhorn died.

Dahlen, 78, an Army veteran who lives in Remsenburg-Speonk, kept Langhorn in his thoughts. He said he felt it wasn’t his place to see about having him moved. Then a year ago, he ran into a relative of Langhorn's who connected him with other family members.

Mack, Langhorn's sister, said the family hadn't considered reinterment. But once the idea came up, they decided it made sense.

She said it was important for her parents to keep their son close to home after he died. The nearest national cemetery, Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, was about 50 miles west of the Maple Avenue home where the family lived in downtown Riverhead.

At Riverhead Cemetery, his father would tend to the grave site and ensure it remained in pristine condition, Mack said.

“Dad was very particular,” she said.

Preserving freedom

In 1993, the Town of Riverhead dedicated a monument to Langhorn in the form of a bronze bust affixed to marble. The memorial was floated in the early 1970s, but it never advanced. The town's Black community, after hearing the family speak about the lack of a memorial, helped push for its creation, and a dedication ceremony took place in October 1993. The bust has since been relocated to the new Town Hall on Second Street.

The ceremony included remarks from several elected officials and funeral director Thomas James of Mangano Family Funeral Homes, which donated services for the reinterment.

Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin said the town will continue to honor Langhorn’s legacy.

“May no one ever forget the sacrifice that you gave to our town and our country,” he said.

Reflecting on the moment, Lewis said the effort was worth it.

“He’s where he needs to be, with his fellow comrades,” she said of her uncle. “He’s a hero.”