Garfield M . Langhorn Garfield McConnell Langhorn ( September 10 , 1948 – January 15 , 1969 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of America ' s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in the Vietnam War . Biography . Born on September 10 , 1948 , in Cumberland , Virginia , Langhorn was living in Brooklyn , New York , when he joined the U . S . Army . He served in Vietnam as a private first class and radio operator with Troop C , 7th Squadron ( Airmobile ) , 17th Cavalry Regiment , 1st Aviation Brigade . On January 15 , 1969 , Langhorn ' s unit attempted to rescue the crew of a downed American helicopter near Plei Djereng in Pleiku Province , South Vietnam . After finding the crash site and the bodies of the dead crewmen , the unit turned back , only to be attacked by entrenched North Vietnam ese forces . During the battle , Langhorn threw himself on an enemy hand grenade that had been thrown near several wounded soldiers . He was killed in the ensuing explosion , but succeeded in protecting the lives of his fellow soldiers . Langhorn , aged 20 years at his death , was buried at Riverhead Cemetery in Riverhead , New York . On September 27 , 2010 , the Riverhead , New York post office building was named the Private First Class Garfield M . Langhorn Post Office Building by the 111th United States Congress . Medal of Honor citation . Langhorn ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : 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 reflect great credit on himself , his unit , and the U . S . Army .