Fayetteville-based Stephen DeLellis is a retired Army lieutenant colonel with over three decades in Army Special Operations Forces and 16 combat deployments across six conflicts. DeLellis began his military career as an enlisted private in 1983, later serving in the 1st Ranger Battalion and Army Special Operations. His experience ranges from surviving a helicopter crash during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu to participating in the operation to capture Manuel Noriega in Panama. He went on to become an Army physician assistant and served as deputy command surgeon for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. 

“While so few of our American citizens actually serve in the military, the contribution that those military members make to our freedom and the stability of this nation and our rights is monumental,” shared DeLellis.

Following his retirement, DeLellis ran the Fort Bragg Research Institute for several years before moving on to serve as senior director of military health at Loyal Source Government Services. DeLellis’s work focuses on supporting the health and readiness of service members and their families.

“Being a Veteran is an absolute honor. And then in my roles since retiring, being able to continue to serve Veterans and the warfighter has been an additional privilege of mine, an absolute privilege, and I enjoy every minute of every day where I get to spend time face to face with Veterans or warfighters,” shared DeLellis. 

Modern warfighters face intense physical and cognitive demands, while their families carry stress and uncertainty during deployments. Caring for today’s warfighters helps them succeed now and supports their well-being as Veterans later. 

“My role as the senior director of military health with Loyal Source is to help build that portfolio that's focused completely on the warfighter, the health of the warfighter and human performance… human performance five, 10, 15 years ago was really a phrase that meant physical ability. You know, making a warfighter stronger, faster, more capable of doing their job, but we've kind of tweaked that thought process in recent years to deal more with the cognitive load that the warfighter is facing now. There’s a lot of information that’s provided to the warfighter prior to the fight, during the fight and cognitive overload can be very challenging on the battlefield and cause a warfighter to lose focus,” explained DeLellis.

DeLellis is proud to have served his country on the battlefield and appreciates the opportunity to help service members and their families now in the work he does with Loyal Source.

“I appreciate what my country has done for me as a Veteran in thanks and recognition for the service I've given them, and we need to continue that. We need to continue to honor the warfighter and the Veteran because everything we have is built on that foundation,” shared DeLellis.