Thank a Veteran: New Albany firefighter reflects on military service

Nov. 9—NEW ALBANY — After two decades of military service, U.S. Army veteran Kyle Mayfield now serves in a different capacity.

Mayfield, a battalion chief and fire marshal at the New Albany Fire Department, served tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His experience included eight years of active duty and nearly 13 years in the Indiana National Guard.

He has worked with the NAFD for the past 12 years, and he is also the vice president of a local nonprofit called Indiana Salute to Veterans.

SERVICE IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN

Mayfield grew up in New Albany, and he was a student at Indiana University Southeast when he decided to join the military.

"I wasn't making the best of grades in school, so I decided to I needed to make a change," he said. "So in my youth and infinite wisdom, I decided, I'm going to give the military a shot."

In June of 2001, he signed up for the U.S. Army, just a few months before the Sept. 11 attacks.

"What happened in September changed the world, and I didn't realize how much it was going to change mine until I got through," Mayfield said.

He went to Fort Benning in Georgia for training, and from there, he went to Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Thirteen days after Mayfield graduated from basic training, he was in Afghanistan as an infantryman.

"I didn't know anything," he said. "I was brand-new — literally two weeks after basic I was sitting in Kandahar. I didn't even understand that I was clear across the world in a dangerous place. I just didn't understand at the time. I didn't have the ability to process the danger I was in."

He served in the 101st Airborne Division in the 3rd Brigade. He was in the 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment.

In 2003, Mayfield was back in the country for six to eight months when he was deployed to Iraq.

He went to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana, where he engaged in a "mock war" situation.

"They laser-gear you up, and it's about as close as we can get," Mayfield said.

He left March 1, 2003 for Fort Campbell, and he was in Kuwait for several weeks before crossing the border into Iraq. He served in the 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Baghdad.

"It was just a mad dash," Mayfield said. "I think everyone was in a race to get to Baghdad."

He recalled that his unit went 63 days without showers, and they were "grimy messes."

After reaching Baghdad, his unit ended up in Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq.

"I was supposed to get out actually after that and go home, but I don't know what happened, but I was... involuntarily extended for the needs of the Army, and I went back to Iraq."

He appreciated the camaraderie of his military experience.

"There was nothing to do sometimes, so you talk about all kinds of stuff, and there was definitely a layer of trust and brotherhood there that is not created anywhere else," Mayfield said. "The connections that you make over there — they're there forever. I haven't seen a lot of those guys in years, but I guarantee if I saw them right now, we'd catch up right where we were."

Even when they were in "miserable" situations, they "were all there together doing it," he said.

"After the fact, you can look back on the worst of days and joke about it because you did it together," Mayfield said.

He notes that things "didn't always go our way over there as you could expect."

"Not everybody got to make it back, but the vast majority did, and looking back on all those things now, I think even in the darkest times when things happened the worst, everybody did their job," Mayfield said.

"Sometimes [things] happen on the battlefield that no matter what you train for, some things just don't go your way. It took time to process those thoughts."

LEARNING TO ADAPT

After returning from Iraq, it was a struggle to adapt.

"It is the weirdest thing," Mayfield said. "I was more stressed and nervous about coming home. It seems so irrational, but I can remember — and other guys have told me the same thing."

"Over there, we know the job," Mayfield said. "We know what's expected of us. There is simplicity in that."

It is difficult to describe what it was like serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

"You know what you're supposed to do every day," he said. "Everything is so regimented, and everyone knows their job. You don't have to worry about the hustle and bustle of life back here."

It was easier to face difficult times with "people who understand what you've gone through," while he cannot make that connection with people who have not faced combat, Mayfield said.

"And you come home, and people want you to talk to them," he said. "We don't want to talk. I don't want to talk to people about it. And it's not at all me being difficult."

Upon leaving, he also left part of his identity, Mayfield said.

"You're leaving so much identity and so much of what you put out there," he said. "You're never touching that book again...and it's kind of a lot to shelve and process."

As he reflects on his service, he emphasizes that he met "great people from across the world."

"There's honestly amazing people across this planet, and I encourage anyone to go see the world," he said. "You'll see how much alike we are."

SERVICE IN INDIANA

After his overseas deployment, he served in the Indiana National Guard.

"I got back in New Albany — before I even went to my parents' house where I was staying... I remember going by the armory as soon as I got in the city and checking in, like where do I need to be next," Mayfield said.

He worked in Salem and Connersville while in the guard.

"I was a platoon sergeant up there, and I loved it," he said. "It was just a really good time."

As he served in the Indiana National Guard, Mayfield appreciated the opportunity to serve in the military while also focusing on the community.

"You can live in both worlds when you're in the guard," he said. "It took me some time to realize that — how good and how important the guard actually is."

The guard helped him start a new career path that eventually led him to the fire department, he said.

As he started his civilian career, he worked various jobs before beginning as a first responder. He worked as a dispatcher at New Albany's 911 center for three years before joining the fire department.

He helped out with the Indiana National Guard when the tornadoes hit Henryville and other towns in Southern Indiana. He was stationed at a truck stop north of Henryville.

"It was a bit of a logistic hub for water, food, sanitary items, clothing, blankets — all of the stuff you would imagine would come through," Mayfield said. "We were controlling the in and out of all of those items."

His involvement with Indiana Salute to Veterans has allowed him to honor local veterans. The nonprofit presents an annual banquet to recognize veterans, and earlier this year, it dedicated a bridge in Memphis, Indiana in memory of a local war hero.

He started as the fire marshal at NAFD two years ago.

"Helping out and doing this type of job in your own city — I think it matters a lot," Mayfield said.

In the fire department, he is able to use his skills "where they are most useful," whether that is the physically demanding aspects or the simple acts of helping out, he said.

"You can help people, and you know that you've helped people," Mayfield said. "There have been several times when you might roll up on a wreck, and there isn't much to do except to sit there and hold somebody's hand. And that, to me, is just so little, [but[ for that person, that's huge."

His experience as a veteran "puts things into perspective," he said.

"Especially today, we get so focused on things that don't matter," Mayfield said. "Look at society as a whole right now... I know what matters, and it keeps me focused. I've seen the best and worst, and it helps me process things easier."