Shawn Whitney Personal Blog

About Me

Shawn H. Whitney retired as black hawk crew-chief and aviation mechanic after 20 years of service with the United States Army. As most of his career was spent in war-torn Middle Eastern countries and South American countries surrounded by violent combatants, Shawn witnessed numerous comrades suffer from the mental and physical consequences of their work. Throughout the years, he has “lost” several fellow soldiers to suicide, depression, and post-traumatic distress syndrome. To this, he has vowed to be an advocate for his fellow heroes. Developing the Idle Hands Tinker Therapy Program is a testament to this vow. By offering hero members a highly desirable automotive or motorcycle reconstruction or repair-focused project, such as restoring a 1971 Jeep CJ, hero members may engage in a unique peer-supported group therapy environment that is also educational and helpful with promoting healthier coping mechanisms and strategies for stressors known to cause professional burnout, moral injury, compassion fatigue, profession-induced post-traumatic stress syndrome, and physical and mental exhaustion.