Colonel (COL) Clayton D. Curtis is from Pearsall, Texas and joined the U.S. Army in 1989. He received a hip-pocket Green-to-Gold Scholarship from the III Corps Commander in 1996, and commissioned in the U.S. Army after earning a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1999.
Later, he earned two Masters of Military Arts and Science (MMAS) from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in 2012, and from the School of Advanced Military Science (SAMS) (Theater Operations) in 2013.

COL Curtis served in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 1st Brigade Combat Team in two Platoon Leader positions from 2000-2004. During this time, he deployed in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM (Iraq) in 2003. COL Curtis also served
in the 1st Special Operations Command (Airborne) in key leadership positions including as Company Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) Chief, Company Commander, and Battalion Commander. During this time, he deployed as a CMOC Chief in support of Combined Joint Special Operations Forces (CJSOTF) in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) (Afghanistan) from 2008-09. Next, he deployed as a Company Commander in support of a U.S. Special Operations Command
(USSOCOM) Joint Task Force (JTF) in support of OEF (Afghanistan) from 2013-14. Later, he deployed as a Battalion Commander in support of a USSOCOM JTF for OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR) (Syria) in 2018.

COL Curtis was also assigned to SOCSOUTH where he served as the J5 Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy from 2016-2018. Afterwards, he served as a Battalion Commander from 2018-2020, and he returned to SOCSOUTH to serve as a Deputy Director for Operations from August 2020 to April 2022. Currently, COL Curtis is currently serving as the J3 Director for Operations for SOCSOUTH.

COL Curtis’ awards include the Bronze Star Medal (one oak leaf cluster), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (three oak leaf clusters), the Army Commendation Medal (six oak leaf clusters), the Joint Service Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters), the Army Achievement Medal (two oak leaf clusters), the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat Medical Badge, and the Expert Field Medical Badge.

COL Curtis and his wife, Dr. Susan Curtis, M.D., have four children: Alicia, Alex, Leonard, and Sophie. They currently reside in Miami Lakes, Florida.