Post office to be named for local hero
The Riverhead post office will be renamed in honor of fallen Riverhead soldier and Medal of Honor recipient Garfield M. Langhorn, who was killed in action in 1969 during the Vietnam War, when he jumped on a live grenade to save the lives of fellow troops.
President Obama is expected to sign legislation renaming the West Main Street post office the Private First Class Garfield M. Langhorn Post Office Building. The bill was recently passed in the Senate.
“Private First Class Garfield M. Langhorn is truly an American hero,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, who co-sponsored the bill with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “By renaming this post office after him, we are honoring his selfless and heroic actions to sacrifice his own life for the lives of his comrades.”
Similar legislation sponsored by Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) was passed unanimously in the U.S. House of Representatives in January.
Pfc. Langhorn, a graduate of Riverhead High School, served as a radio operator in the U.S. Army before he died in Pleiku Province.
“I think it’s beautiful,” said his mother, 86-year-old Mary Langhorn of Riverhead. She added that the son of one of the soldiers Pfc. Langhorn saved had recently thanked her for his sacrifice.
“He said if it wasn’t for my son, he wouldn’t be here,” Ms. Langhorn said.
