Meet the Marine: Sergeant Tylor Camfield

Photo By Sgt. Tylor Camfield | Depicted is a recreation done by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Tylor Camfield, a Combat Graphics Specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, of a famous photograph taken during the Vietnam War, Jan. 3, 2019. The original photograph was taken on Oct. 5, 1965 as paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade were helped move to a medical evacuation helicopter 25 miles northeast of Saigon. (Illustration courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Tylor Camfield)  

MCAS CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

03.25.2020

Story by Lance Cpl. Michael Neuenhoff 

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

Being a Marine goes past the uniform, haircuts and swagger. It’s a whole Marine Concept. They are a group of exceptional human beings who embody the Corp’s ethos of honor, courage, and commitment. Now, here is your chance to Meet a Marine.
All the way from a small town in Missouri called Forsyth, Tylor Camfield made the decision to join the United States Marine Corps after graduating high school, two duty stations and rising all the way to the rank of sergeant. Here is his story.
Throughout his early life and life before the Marine Corps, Camfield mostly kept to himself. Making a few solid friends and spending most of his time doing what he loved, drawing.
“I was kind of shy when I was a kid,” said Camfield. “I’d usually just draw and hangout with some of my friends.”
Starting his pursuit of art from a young age, Camfield kept on building his skills as an artist and garnered lots of attention with his creative work. Starting at about kindergarten, Camfield steadily kept at it, even then starting to receive comments on his artwork from peers and teachers. Camfield realized he really liked how people reacted to his art and appreciated the attention, whether he had created a drawing or painting. All of the positive attention he was receiving, Camfield took it all to heart and began drawing often. Everyone’s reactions to his artwork gave him that extra push he needed towards an art career. Almost immediately taking off as he continued to perfect his skills and experiment more and more as time when on.
During high school, Camfield was in numerous different after school art programs, clubs and athletic groups. Among the clubs Camfield was affiliated with was a Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) program, giving Camfield some insight into military life and showed him a sliver of what life might be like if he decided to become a service member.
“It was around this time I really started to think about enlisting,” said Camfield. “When my family initially found I wanted to enlist they were all skeptical at first and wanted me to go to college.”
Camfield was shown all the opportunities offered through the United States He got with his recruiter and told him which Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) he wanted, Combat Camera, now known as Communication Strategy and Operations (COMMSTRAT).
“I just wanted to depict what life in the Marine Corps was like to those not in the Marine Corps,” said Camfield. “And the best way to do that is through the lens of a camera.”
Camfield went to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depo San Diego on October 26, 2015 for three grueling months. Then off to Marine Combat Training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and a month later, he made it to the Defense Information School at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, where he was trained in his MOS as a 4512, Combat Graphics Specialist. After graduating, Camfield was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. About 3 months in, Camfield received surprise orders to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and has been there ever since.
“Boot camp is physically challenging enough as is,” said Camfield. “Even after boot camp you face hardships and struggles day-to-day, regardless of your job. It takes a certain type of person to be in the Marine Corps, whether they realize it or not.”
In the Marine Corps new challenges are presented every day, some more taxing than others. But at the end of the day and even during the day, Camfield can always whip out his art supplies. Getting to do what he loves and have the ability to show off his skills everyday as a job and as an off time activity have helped Camfield adjust throughout his career no matter the situation.
“I’m just extremely grateful for my family, friends, and coworkers for all their support,” said Camfield. “My family and friends were always extremely supportive with my art and my decision to enlist and my coworkers are always there to lend a helping hand.”

• Date Taken: 03.25.2020
• Date Posted: 07.21.2020 13:25
• Story ID: 365903
• Location: MCAS CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US