Medal of Honor: Garfield M. Langhorn – Vietnam War – Pleiku Province – January 1969

Name: Garfield M. Langhorn
Rank: Private First Class
Organization: U.S. Army
Unit: Troop C, 7th Squadron (Airmobile), 17th Cavalry, 1st Aviation Brigade
Place: Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam
Entered Service At: Brooklyn, New York
Born: Cumberland, Virginia

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Summary of Action

On 15 January 1969, Private First Class Garfield M. Langhorn was serving as a radio operator with Troop C near Plei Djereng in Pleiku Province. His platoon was inserted into a heavily wooded landing zone to recover two pilots from a Cobra helicopter that had been shot down by enemy fire.

As the platoon moved through dense jungle terrain, Pfc. Langhorn maintained radio contact with command-and-control aircraft overhead. Upon reaching the wreckage, the soldiers discovered that both aviators had been killed. While carrying the bodies toward an extraction site, the platoon was suddenly ambushed by North Vietnamese Army forces firing from camouflaged bunkers to the front and right flank. Within minutes, the unit was surrounded.

Pfc. Langhorn immediately called for gunship support, skillfully directing minigun and rocket fire onto the attacking enemy. He then positioned himself between the platoon leader and another soldier, continuing to operate his radio while providing covering fire as wounded men were pulled into the center of a hastily formed perimeter.

As darkness fell, accurate aerial support became impossible, and enemy forces began probing the defensive line. During this critical moment, an enemy hand grenade landed directly in front of Pfc. Langhorn and only a few feet from several wounded soldiers. Without hesitation, and fully aware of the danger, he threw himself onto the grenade, pulling it beneath his body and absorbing the full force of the explosion.

By his deliberate and selfless act, Private First Class Langhorn saved the lives of his wounded comrades at the cost of his own. His courage and devotion under fire exemplified the highest ideals of military service.

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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 reflects great credit on himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.