KENYA, AFRICA. (THECOUNT) — Army Specialist Henry “Mitch” Mayfield Jr., of Chicago, was among the three people killed in an attack on a U.S. military base in Kenya Sunday.
Mayfield, 23, based at Fort Rucker, died in the assault at Manda Bay Airfield, family confirmed Monday morning.
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Two Department of Defense contractors were also killed. The Department of Defense has not confirmed the identities of those killed in the attack.
Mayfield joined the Army in 2018, reports AL.
“He loved his family and spending quality time with his siblings,” Carmoneta, Mayfield’s mother, told the Chicago station. “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.
Loved ones confirm @USArmy Specialist Henry Mayfield Jr. was 1 of 3 Americans killed during a pre-dawn terror attack on a U.S. airfield base in Kenya.
He was just 23-years-old.
Mayfield Jr. is from Chicago suburb Hazel Crest.@cbschicago pic.twitter.com/l9ikuBhn4h
— Eric Cox (@EricCoxTV) January 6, 2020
“He told me everything would be OK. Those were his last words to me,” she said.
Sunday’s attack came from the militant group al-Shabab and followed a U.S. strike that killed Iranian Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
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Geo quick facts: Kenya is a country in East Africa with coastline on the Indian Ocean. It encompasses savannah, lakelands, the dramatic Great Rift Valley and mountain highlands. It’s also home to wildlife like lions, elephants and rhinos. From Nairobi, the capital, safaris visit the Maasai Mara Reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania’s 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro – wikipedia.