Lee Zeldin: “Today, I rise to honor the service and sacrifice of hometown hero and Medal of Honor recipient PFC Garfield M. Langhorn…”

“Today, I rise to honor the service and sacrifice of hometown hero and Medal of Honor recipient PFC Garfield M. Langhorn from Riverhead, New York, who, 50 years ago today, saved the lives of his platoon members, at just 20 years old, by throwing himself on a live grenade in Pleiku province in Vietnam on January 15, 1969. PFC Langhorn served as a radio operator with Troop C, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Aviation Brigade, when his unit attempted to rescue the crew of a downed American helicopter. Finding no surviving crew, PFC Langhorn and his unit were returning the fallen aviators when they came under heavy fire from North Vietnamese forces. Under the cover of darkness, the North Vietnamese began to advance, throwing a hand grenade in front of PFC Langhorn, who threw himself on the grenade. The grenade was just a few feet from a few of his injured comrades. {time} 1015 It was in that moment, PFC Langhorn was so selfless, he chose a courageous act that President Lincoln once referred to as ``the last full measure of devotion.'' It was an act for his brothers, his fellow soldiers, and his country. In that moment, he ``unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade, scooped it beneath his body and absorbed the blast,'' according to the Medal of Honor Citation and the firsthand accounts of his fellow soldiers he saved.…”