Courtesy Photo | Command Sgt. Maj. Roscoe Gordon Mayfield joined the U.S. Army in 1971 as an aircraft...... read more read more
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CHICAGO - Command Sgt. Maj. Roscoe Gordon Mayfield has seen the fields of Vietnam and the deserts of Iraq during his 30-year career in the U.S. Army. The 59-year-old joined the U.S. Army in 1971 and retired March 10.
At 18, Mayfield knew his lottery number for the draft was coming up, so rather than wait, he volunteered. “At the time a lot of people were against the war for different reasons,” he recalled. “I was in ROTC in high school until graduation.”
In fact not only did Mayfield participate in his high school Reserve Officer Training Corps, but in what may have been a glimpse of his future, he achieved the rank of command sergeant just as he did in the U.S. Army.
During his first tour in Vietnam he worked as an aircraft armament repairman with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky. He served for three years in active duty before serving one year in the Army Reserve. Because he didn’t like the Army Reserve unit in which he was serving, Mayfield decided to get out. This decision was short-lived, however, as Mayfield returned to the Army Reserve in 1981.
Throughout his career he's served with the military police, the infantry, and as a supply clerk. One of the reasons he joined voluntarily was his dream of becoming a police officer. He said the Army would give him the confidence and training to make him stand out from the other candidates.
“No matter what occupation you get, there's always some type of danger," Mayfield said. And after Vietnam, being a Detroit police officer wasn't that scary, he added. After nearly 36 years as a Detroit police officer, Mayfield has been awarded three accommodation medals. One citation was for stopping an armed robbery in progress.
Mayfield has also seen the military change a lot during his career. He said prejudice was subtle when he first enlisted. “It wasn’t really out like I heard back in the ‘30s and ‘40s.” He, however, recalled an instance in which he was called by a racial slur while on a detail in Indiana. “I was shocked! I’ll never forget it.”
Even so, things have improved. He said, “The military is doing the best it can. I don’t know anybody who comes into the military and picks up something racial. It’s something they picked up as they were growing up. Society, as a whole, needs to do some things, and society has been doing some things.”
Mayfield pointed to the election of President Barack Obama as an example but also how it brought out the worst in some people. “I guess they didn’t want to see a black man elected as president. I think it’s going to be the same way when a female becomes president. Some people will be all upset about it.
“There have always been homosexuals in the military,” citing another example, “but people just can’t accept it. That’s the way society is.”
Coming from a combat arms background, Mayfield still believed gays would be accepted in the military and believes one day women will be serving in combat arms positions.
Like police departments across the U.S., the Army has started to decrease its numbers. Mayfield said he’s seen the military build up and then draw back down several times during his career.
“It's disappointing to see the military … cut back and force people out,” Mayfield said after the Army's recent goal to draw down all forces by 30 percent.
His advice for young soldiers is to make sure they have their paperwork together, take all the training they can, and make sure to do their very best.
“They are going to get rid of the people that are marginal. You’ve got two soldiers: one is doing an outstanding job, and the other is doing marginal. Who are you going to get rid of?” Mayfield asked.
“The marginal one because he’s not performing to the standard like he’s supposed to,” answered Mayfield, who deployed to Iraq with the 318th PAOC from Forest Park, Ill., in 2009.
Mayfield also said he doesn't have any regrets about joining the Army and can't think of what he would have done differently.
“I’ve always enjoyed being in the military,” he said. “I learned a lot of things, and I went to see places I never would have gone if I hadn’t been in the military.
“I met a lot of good people. I’ll always remember this unit [the 318th Public Affairs Operations Center] for the rest of my life, the good times I had with the people in the unit. I think the people in this unit are very highly motivated people, and they seem to be very dedicated to what they’re supposed to do.”
After retiring from the military, Mayfield plans on staying with the police department for another year or two before retiring. Even after retiring from public service, he still plans to serve the community as an activist to improve city services to ensure people’s taxes are used wisely.
“I think the citizens of the city of Detroit don't have some type of voice, someone that speaks up for them," he said. “Over the years, people just accept the status quo and don’t say anything about it.
“I want to be that voice.”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2012 19:15 |
| Story ID: | 85312 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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