Col Clayton D. Gard III received his commission through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps after graduating from Officer Candidate school and the University of Illinois in May of 2003. After The Basic School he completed flight school and reported to VFA-106 in Virginia Beach, VA for training in the F/A-18 Hornet.
After completion of the Fleet Replacement Squadron, 1st Lt Gard reported to his first fleet squadron VMFA(AW)-533 the “Hawks” in Beaufort, SC in July 2006. While in the squadron he served as the S-4A, coffee mess officer, Powerline OIC and Flight Officer, deploying to the Western Pacific on UDP in 2008. After returning from deployment, Capt Gard completed TACP school in Coranado, CA and was assigned to 2d Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO). Deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in 2009, he served as the Air Officer/ FAC for units in the United Kingdom’s Task Force Helmand and MEB-A’s Task Force Raider for the entirety of the deployment. After returning from Afghanistan, Capt Gard again reported to Beaufort, SC and the Hawks, deploying twice more to the Western Pacific on UDP. While in the squadron he served as the Airframes OIC, Assistant Operations Officer and Training Officer after graduating from both the Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC) and Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI).
Selected to attend resident PME in 2013, Capt Gard reported to and graduated from the US Air Force Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Alabama. After departing Montgomery in the spring of 2014, Major Gard reported to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG) as a JTAC/Fires Officer. While at NSWDG Maj Gard participated in multiple training exercises, Basic Airborne course and Special Operations Military Free Fall course. He deployed for multiple contingency operations in both AFRICOM and CENTCOM AORs to include support to Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). In 2017 Major Gard completed F/A-18 refresh training with VFA-106 and reported to VMFA(AW)-224 in Beaufort, SC serving as the Operations Officer, immediately deploying to Bahrain in support of OIR. After returning from combat operations, Maj Gard assumed the duties as Executive Officer of the squadron until departing for duty on the Joint Staff. Selected for LtCol in 2019, Maj Gard became the Forward Air Controller Airborne (FAC(A)) MOA manager and JTAC SME for DDC5I, J6, Close Air Support section of the Joint Staff in Suffolk, VA.
While at the Joint Staff LtCol Gard was selected to Command VMFA-312 the “Checkerboards” in Beaufort, SC and after briefly serving as the MAG-31 Executive Officer he assumed command in December of 2021. In February 2022, the Squadron was sent to Norway for a Training exercise and then rapidly repositioned on an unplanned deployment to Lask, Poland in support of the NATO Air Policing mission “Atlas Guardian,” in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Returning to Beaufort, the “Checkerboards” rapidly refit and deployed to the Western Pacific two months later in support of UDP to Iwakuni, Japan. After command, LtCol Gard attended the National Defense University in Washington DC and upon graduation reported to the Chief of Naval Air Forces (CNAF) Atlantic in Norfolk, VA as the N421, USMC Class Desk Lead. Selected for MAG Command, Col Gard briefly served at MARFORCOM as the G-7 before reporting to MCAS Beaufort for conversion training to the F-35B with VMFAT-501 the “Warlords.”
Col Gard has completed multiple deployments to the Western Pacific, EUCOM AO, and multiple combat deployments to CENTCOM and AFIRCOM AOs. He has accrued over 2000 hours in the F/A-18 and is a graduate of Military Free Fall course, Marine Division Tactics Course (MDTC), and Weapons and Tactics Instructor school (WTI). Col Gard has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree from the Air University’s Air Command and Staff College and from the National Defense University.