I Got The News Today (IGTNT), which is one of the oldest continuous series on Daily Kos, provides members of this community a venue to pay their respects to those who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as in Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Operation Inherent Resolve, Operation Resolute Support, Operation Joint Guardian and Operation Octave Shield. The IGTNT title is a reminder that far too often the family of an active duty service member receives the terrible news that their beloved has died.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Octave Shield. Spc. Henry J. Mayfield Jr., 23, from Evergreen Park, Illinois, was killed Jan. 5, 2020, during an attack in Manda Bay, Kenya. The incident is under investigation. Mayfield was assigned to 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group, Fort Rucker, Alabama. ~ DoD News Release
Spc. Henry J. Mayfield Jr.
Spc. Henry J. Mayfield Jr., as well as two Defense Department contractors, died in Kenya after their military base, Manda Bay Airfield, was overrun by al-Shabab fighters on Sunday, January 5th. In addition, two Defense Department persons were injured in the attack. The U.S. has approximately 200 troops as well as around 100 non-uniformed personnel in Kenya. ~Stars and Stripes
Henry “Mitch” Mayfield Jr. graduated from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills. He then enrolled at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb for one year where he pursued a business degree. Unable to fund another year at NIU, Mayfield enlisted in the U.S. Army in June of 2018.
On Sunday afternoon the Mayfield family answered a knock at their door — that knock that every family with a loved one serving in a war zone dreads — and were informed of Henry’s death.
Spc Mayfield’s father, Henry Mayfield Sr. spoke about his son with reporters for the Chicago Tribune. He said his son’s decision to enlist at age 20 came from a desire to build a better future moving forward as well as to fulfill a sense of duty in service to others. Somewhere along the way “Mitch” realized he enjoyed serving in the Army. “He was that kind of kid. He would help. It fit him. It was good for him. He enjoyed being in the Army.”
Mayfied, Sr, who is a truck driver, said his son had mentioned possibly investing in a few trucks and opening a trucking business sometime in the future. However, Mr. Mayfield added that he didn’t think his son would leave the service anytime soon. “He seemed like he was going to do the 20 years.”
Henry, Sr said his son enjoyed spending time with his family and playing sports, especially basketball. He was a LeBron James fan and chose to cheer on, or in his words “roll with”, the Lakers over his hometown Bulls
Spc Mayfield kept in frequent contact with his family during this, his first deployment. He would speak with them using FaceTime at least twice a week. When he last spoke with his family he told them he felt safe and he felt good. According to his father, “It was a real nice conversation. He wasn’t scared, nervous, upset. He felt good.”
Henry’s father thought back to his last conversation with his son and said, “I’m holding on to all of (it). Just everything I can remember. Just hold on to him.”
Spc. Henry Mayfield’s mother, Carmoneta Horton-Mayfield shared photos of her son on Facebook and followed up with a post thanking everyone for their outpouring of love. She asked that they continue offering prayers for the family. ~News Source
Carmoneta spoke via email to NBC 5’s Regina Waldroup:"He loved his family and spending quality time with his siblings. I last spoke with him New Year’s Day via FaceTime. We discussed him not having to go to Somalia and he told me everything was good and safe at his base. He told me everything would be okay. Those were his last words to me."
Hazel Crest mayor, Vernard Alsberry, who was a staff sergeant in the Air Force, ordered the village to lower its flags to the half-staff position in honor of Spc. Henry J. Mayfield, Jr. The mayor began the process of plans to honor the fallen soldier. “Everybody is kind of thrown for a loop, you hate this kind of stuff happening. Being a veteran myself, you have another comrade who goes down, it’s just hard.”
On behalf of Spc. Henry J. Mayfield, Jr.’s family, his aunt Tawanna Cottenfinner delivered the following statement:
"At this time, we would like to say thank you for all your kind words that we have received. The loss of a child is devastating no matter how it occurs. This was a senseless act of violence that has changed our lives forever. Our son was a great big brother, cousin and above all he was an awesome person. We will miss him tremendously. He brought joy to everyone he came into contact with. We will miss that joy. At this time, we are asking for time to grieve in privacy." ~ News Source
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of our teammates who lost their lives today," ~ U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command
“Specialist Mayfield was a dynamic Soldier who inspired those he served with to excel both on and off duty. The 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group will miss his leadership and camaraderie.” ~ Commander William Garber, Air Traffic Services Command and 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group ~ News Source
Spc. Henry J. Mayfield, Jr leaves behind his father, Henry J. Mayfield, Sr.; his mother Carmoneta Horton-Mayfield; eight siblings and many loved ones. No funeral arrangements have been announced.
I Got the News Today" is a series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifices made by our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno in 2004 and now is maintained by Sandy on Signal, i dunno, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, SisTwo, SpamNunn, TrueBlueMajority, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, maggiejean, Ekaterin, Joy of Fishes, SARBill and me, JaxDem. These diaries are heartbreaking to write but are an important service to those who have died and allows our community to show respect for the fallen and express condolences to those who mourn them. These posts usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
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Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service member(s) mentioned here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.