Wayne Phelps is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who deployed five times, including two deployment to Afghanistan, two deployments to Iraq and one deployment aboard a U.S. Navy ship. He was amongst the first conventional troops on the ground in Pakistan after 9/11. He also participated in the initial invasion into Iraq in 2003 and the troop surge into Afghanistan in 2010. He commanded units at every level from Platoon to Squadron, served as an instructor at the Marine Corps’ premier aviation training squadron, and served as a staff officer in the Pentagon. In 2014 he was selected to become a drone pilot and he attended the Air Force’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft Undergraduate training becoming the first Marine honor graduate. His last assignment was as the Commanding Officer of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron Three in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. As the Commanding Officer, he deployed four teams to conduct counter-terrorism operations against violent extremist organizations. He is also the author of the book On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with Drones. You can find his book On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with Drones in both hardback and audio formats.  On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with DronesMental Health Services   If you are a veteran in need of immediate help please contact the Veteran’s Crisis Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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