B.C. veteran helps process PTSD by replicating ships he served on

A veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy has found an interesting new hobby in retirement: Yvon Lehoux is replicating seven of the ships he served on.

A veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy has found an interesting new hobby in retirement: Yvon Lehoux is replicating seven of the ships he served on.

There are not kits to buy for these models. Lehoux has to craft every little piece from scratch to recreate his vessels, with every tiny detail offering the veteran a trip through time.

“I used to sit here after a meal at night just get the breeze from the ocean,” said Lehoux pointing to a small box on the back of one of the ships.

Lehoux was just 19 when he joined the Royal Canadian Navy, serving on destroyers that were part of a NATO patrol.

“We were chasing Russian submarines,” he told Global’s This is BC.

But three decades of service took its toll on his mental health, and Lehoux still struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I had nightmares about the Navy three or four times a week,” he said. “I had so many things I had to hide inside. These are all things that affect you long-term, and you don’t realize it.”

The work on the models has been part of his therapy, and has delivered several powerful results.