
When we think of veterans, it is WWI and WWII that come to mind but another war took place in Korea in 1950. Kingsville has a Veteran of that war: Leading Seaman Neil Sunderland.
The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. The war began when North Korea invaded South Korea. North Korea was supported by China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations, principally the United States.
On the side of the United Nations 26,000 Canadians participated, and Canada sent eight destroyers. Canadian aircraft provided transport, supply and logistics. Ultimately 516 Canadians died, 312 of which were from combat. After the war, Canadian troops remained for three years as military observers. The fighting ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953. (Source: Wikipedia)
One of Kingsville’s own who joined the Navy in 1953 is Neil Sunderland.
He was 20 years old. Leading Seaman Sunderland was posted to the HMCS Huron. Since he joined up in the later part of the war, the duty of the ship he was posted on was “clean up,” meaning chasing any Korean and Japanese ships out of the waters surrounding Korea. Many of these ships were disguised as fishing boats. When the Canadian destroyer approached, these fishing boats took off as they were equipped with powerful motors.

Neil returned from Korea in the spring of 1954 at the age of 21. When asked if he could share any memories of his service during that time, he just smiled and said, “I don’t remember.” With any war time experience, some memories are best forgotten.
Neil’s navy uniform and other memorabilia are on display at the Kingsville Military Museum.

In December 2016, Neil received a letter of thanks from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. The following is taken from that letter which was signed by Colonel Chang Bae Yoon.
“We Koreans have never forgotten the Canadians, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that generations of Koreans, including my own, could have the opportunity to choose our own path. Indeed, Canada’s veterans changed the course of history for our people and helped make this remarkable transformation possible. Thanks to you, Korea has been able to flourish as a democratic and prosperous nation. You can take pride knowing that you gave Koreans the greatest gift of all, the gift of freedom, peace and hope.”