Soldier On program uses sports to help heal Canadian soldiers

Returning home after fighting abroad feels strange for many Canadian soldiers.

Whether coming back with physical or psychological injuries, many often feel alienated from the communities and families they once felt part of.

An increase in the number of Canadians who served Afghanistan developing psychological problems such as suicide ideation and post-traumatic stress disorder has put an onus on communities and governments to provide programs and services to help facilitate their reintegration.

One of the more successful programs, Soldier On, promotes healing through physical activity and sport. Through organizing group or individual activities like skiing, equestrian and boxing, the program aims to help soldiers find community and a place to speak frankly about the issues they are facing.

Since its creation in 2006, the program has seen its participation grow from nine to 381 people.

More than three-quarters of its members have PTSD. Three members shared their stories with CBC/Radio-Canada:

The boxer: Jocelyn Ayotte

After 22 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and five overseas missions, Jocelyn Ayotte took his retirement following his PTSD diagnosis in 2012.

He had served on missions to Bosnia, Croatia, Haiti, Kabul and Kandaharfrom 1993 to 2008.

"Meeting guys here at Soldier On, it's like coming home again and meeting your buddies when you were deployed and fighting overseas," Ayotte says.

He invited Radio-Canadato join him for a session at Georges St-Pierre's mixed martial arts gym in Montreal. He says the gym there has helped renew his motivation to push his own limits.

The horseback rider: Larry Beattie

Larry Beattie speaks of living with PTSD and the Soldier On program

9 years ago

Duration 3:38

The Soldier On program has helped Beattie explore a passion for horseback riding.

Naval officer Larry Beattie was sexually assaulted by a fellow sailor while on a sea mission in 1979. The traumatic experience laid dormant in his subconscious until around 2007; he was diagnosed with PTSD in 2008.

"It marked me for life," he says of his experience. He drank to help numb the trauma.

He says he first heard about Soldier On after attending a marathon medal ceremonyin 2008.

He thought to himself: "I'm ill, but that's not for me because I'm not broken enough."

He says he didn't consider joining theprogram until a member ofhis peer support group brought it up last summer. He signed up for a week-longhorseback riding campin Toronto.

After years of isolation, he says he's "proud of myself to be getting out of my bubble."

The long-distance runner: James MacIntyre

James MacIntyre on losing a leg in Afghanistan

9 years ago

Duration 3:49

Soldier On's Ontario regional rep MacIntyre says his prosthetic leg has helped his recovery immensely.

Sgt. James MacIntyre lost his left leg after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on a tour of Afghanistan.

Outfitted with a prosthetic, he ran his first half-marathon after a year after that.

"I got it in 1:47," he says of his time.

Since then, he has navigated the slopes of Blue Mountain on a snowboard and has become the co-ordinator of Ontario's regional chapter of Soldier On.

He says the work he gets to do at Soldier On has allowed him to help soldiers and veterans discover new passions.