LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga.–Unprecedented challenge is how Clay Fuller described the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent activation of his Air National Guard unit. Fuller will deploy with the 187^th Fighter Wing –a unit made famous by the Tuskegee Airmen, in Montgomery, Alabama. He is a major Deputy Staff Judge Advocate with the unit, which boasts of the nickname “The Red Tails.”

While he wishes the country wasn’t facing the COVID-19, he said this is why he and his fellow airmen, soldiers, and seamen have trained.

“When you are in the Guard, you train and you exercise and then, when you get a real-world situation, you kind of live for it,” he said.

Clay Fuller, Air National Guardsman and candidate for the Republican primary in the 14th Congressional District, leaves behind his wife, Kate, and two children after his Air National Guard Unit was activated.

Fuller commissioned as an officer into the active duty Air Force in 2010. While this is his first deployment, it’s not his first challenge. In 2013, he was diagnosed with cancer, forcing him out of the rotation for deployment. Instead, he found himself at Walter Reed Medical Center, in Virginia.

Talking to a crowd in Dalton, he told them the experience showed him the perils of a one-payer health system.

He left active duty in 2014 and has been cancer-free for seven years. He wanted to continue serving though and began looking into Reserve and National Guard options.

“With the cancer, not many would consider me. I was blessed (the 187^th) needed an experienced JAG. Its great to be a part of their mission,” said Fuller.

Fuller serves as a Judge Advocate General, JAG for short, which is the legal branch of the military. His job is to advise the command on the legal parameters of their deployment and how the authority structure looks between the military and civilian law enforcement and because of the medical nature of this deployment, the medical field.

“The Guard has a unique role in domestic situations,” he explained. “The police have more authority, but we are here to help with things they can’t deal with.”

Legally, active duty troops cannot be used for domestic situations, but the National Guard is a state-force that can be used for domestic situations such as hurricanes and now, pandemics.

“We got the news this weekend,” he said, adding that his commander called him and the rest of the unit to duty, as opposed to Governor Kay Ivey or President Donald Trump.

“We’re trying to see where the hotspots are going to be,” he said. “We’ll go where we are needed.”

Family

While Fuller enjoys serving his country and community — he works as prosecutor for Dade County, and he has trained for deployment, it does have it’s drawbacks. One is leaving his family for an unknown about of time.

“It’s indefinite. The President has said this may be the new normal through summer,” he said.

Clay Fuller, shown here with wife, Kate, daughter Tallulah, and son, Callum, has been called to active duty with the Alabama Air National Guard.

Fuller has been married for 10 years to Kate. Together they have a daughter, Tallulah, 9, and son, Callum, 3.

While his wife knew deployment was a possibility, explaining it to the children was hard. He added the kids were upset, but understood.

“We’re telling them everything is okay, we’ll get through it,” he said, adding his son has asked when he’ll come home. “It’s just a big question mark, but I tell him we’ll talk about it on the phone when I call.”

Martial law

The pandemic has brought concerns of martial law, but Fuller said it’s not something they are concerned with.

“Right now, we are focused on the federal resources coming into the state,” he said. “We’re making sure the medical and law enforcement personnel have what they need.”

Campaign

One challenge Fuller faces that few, if any of his fellow airmen are facing with this deployment is how to travel the campaign trail while deployed.

Fuller announced his candidacy for Georgia’s 14^th Congressional District, currently held by Rep. Tom Graves, who announced his retirement in November 2019.

“We have a number of people who will step up and continue to spread the word,” said Fuller.

He said he has confidence in his team to meet people on his behalf while he fights “the greatest challenge” the country has faced.

“It’s challenging for me personally, and my family, but this is why we train. We want to keep us safe and keep us contained,” he said. “I ended up where I’m supposed to be.”

To see how the Coronavirus is impacting other families in the FYN coverage area, click here.