Certificates of Appreciation for Korean War veterans

On March 8, 2012, Toronto Consul General Kevin Johnson visited the Veterans Centre to hand out Certificates of Appreciation from the U.S. Department of Defense to Sunnybrook's Korean War veterans.

During his visit, Consul General Johnson spoke about time he's spent in veterans centres visiting his father, a WWII veteran. He also spoke about how special the Canadian and American relationship was, calling it the "the best friendship in the world." Consul General Johnson handed out each certificate personally to the veterans, along with pins featuring Canadian and American flags waving side by side. 

The certificates were signed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. They recognize the veterans' service during the Korean War in defense of democracy and freedom, and state that their selfless sacrifice halted the tide of communism on the Korean Peninsula. In total there are fifteen veterans living at Sunnybrook who served in the Korean conflict from 1950 to 1953.

Many of the veterans had family on hand for the event and after a group picture was taken, the Consul General was treated to an impromptu tour of the facility by veteran Douglas Scott. The centre is the largest veterans care facility in Canada provides specialized, resident-centred health care and a wealth of recreational therapy programs. A similar ceremony of the U.S. honouring Canadian Korean War veterans was held in Vancouver last November.