Therapy Helps Army Veteran Find His Way Back from PTSD 

Now retired from the Army and a Lean Leader in AP1, Tony Whelan shares his story 

In 2016, Tony Whelan was an Army Master Sergeant stationed at Fort Knox after multiple combat tours in the Middle East. As a leader, he was a proponent for mental health care, advising others to get help but never taking the advice himself despite knowing something was wrong. 

The origin of Tony’s PTSD 

Tony’s PTSD stems largely from an incident during a combat deployment in 2011. As a First Sergeant for a Combat Engineer Company, he and his 180 soldiers had a high-risk task: clearing IEDs (improvised explosive devices) from roads. Following a patrol briefing in May 2011, a squad leader approached Tony to say he had a bad feeling about the mission. Tony told him to get in the vehicle and lead his people. Later that day, a 500-pound IED exploded, killing five soldiers – including the squad leader who had expressed concerned. 

“I handled it stoically but internally, it destroyed me,” he says, recalling his mental state at the time. “Those kids are dead because of me. I’m responsible for that. I told them to get in there.” 

Though his military chain of command assured him it wasn’t his fault, the guilt was overwhelming. Even after leaving combat duty, Tony became angry and distant around every anniversary of the IED incident. 

He knew he needed help with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but also thought he needed to hide it because he was “tough” and in a leadership position. 

The moment he changed course 

Walking through the hospital on post one day, Tony saw a sign that read: “Are You Struggling with Mental Health? Come Here to Sign Up for a Session.” Something told him to go in, so he went. 

“It was divine intervention,” says Tony, now retired from the Army and Lean Leader in AP1 at GE Appliances. “I said ‘Hey, I need help.’ The woman said, ‘you’ve come to the right place.’ And that’s where it started.” 

More than six years later, Tony continues his therapy with mental health care professionals and uses techniques he has learned. He advocates for mental health care among his co-workers and within GEA Veterans Network, where he serves as co-lead. 

Tony believes that talking openly about his struggle with PTSD and depression, and how counseling helped him, can help others feel more comfortable seeking help themselves. He says that goes for veterans and anyone who is grappling with the complex issues of life. 

Finding a release valve: personal counseling 

“I felt like I was inside a pressure cooker. The horrors and demons I was fighting and holding back were like heat and pressure building to the point I would explode. I think not only in the military, but here in manufacturing we hold down our feelings and emotions until we’re at capacity,” he says. “That’s dangerous, we need a release valve.” 

After starting consistent therapy in 2016, he now has the coping skills he needs to get through the low points. When the anniversary of the IED incident rolls around, he can reflect on the fun times he had with the soldiers who passed instead of just the tragedy. 

Mental health is integral to wellbeing and a priority for GEA WellWithin, which has many avenues to help people find those healthy “release valves.” The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers access to onsite and virtual counseling services for all team members and their dependents. Additionally, company benefits address wellness issues that impact mental health, including addiction, chronic health problems, and financial wellbeing. 

Tony says he feels supported at GEA and feels a duty to support those around him. 

“As leaders … really know the people in your sphere of influence – salaried, hourly, and contractors. It is important to know your team, know how old their kids are, know what excites them. The more you get to know your people, you’ll recognize when things change. That can be an indicator; an opportunity for you to step in and extend that hand to help them,” Tony encourages. He extends a special note about those who have served: “Sometimes a veteran won’t show those emotions to others.” 

In Tony’s case, people did notice – his family, his friends, his wife. Tony says that he bottled up his emotions and that affected how he interacted with others. Normally extroverted and possessing high-energy and drive, he started to be down. 

“As service members, we’re expected to go further and do more. We become numb to a lot of things. We keep a lot of things in,” Tony says. “The reason for veterans to get help? It’s changed my life. I’m not the same man I was. I found myself again.”