Wayne Phelps is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. During his military career he 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 UAS (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 (VMU-3) in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. As the Commanding Officer, he deployed four teams to conduct counter-terrorism operations against violent extremist organizations.  

     He holds a master’s degree in military studies and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. His personal military decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (x2), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (x3) (one with combat “V” for valor), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Honorable Order of St Barbara, and 2012 Marine Corps Aviation Association Command and Control Officer of the Year.  

He currently resides in Austin, TX with his wife and two children.