Tanner Yackley, a former drone sensor operator with the US Air Force, spent years flying remote combat missions, tracking targets, and executing high-stakes strikes — all from a windowless room thousands of miles away from the battlefield.
Yackley enlisted in the military at 18, drawn in by a recruiter who told him he’d be protecting convoys. He spent nearly eight years in the service, sometimes working up to 12-hour shifts in a type of combat most Americans don’t realize exists. Operating MQ-9 Reaper drones, Yackley made life-and-death decisions daily, striking targets based on limited intelligence, monitoring suspected terrorists, and witnessing acts of war unfold in real time.
Yackley opens up to Business Insider about the realities of drone warfare: the precision required to pull a trigger, the emotional cost of fighting a war you’re not physically present for, and what it’s like to live with the memories of decisions made through a screen. He breaks down drone pilot training, the mental toll of shift work, and how it feels to be forgotten in the conversation about combat veterans.
Since leaving the service, Yackley has become a vocal advocate for mental health awareness among drone crews and continues to challenge public misconceptions about remote warfare.
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