It's often referred to as the forgotten war, but those who fought in Korea will never forget.
If he can't get the sound out of his head there's a good reason for that. Firing mortar shells was Mike Czuboka's job during the Korean War in 1951. That job is how he lost most of his hearing.
"What happens is when you drop the shell in you normally bend your head down to put it next to the barrel to avoid the blast and this particular occasion I lifted my head prematurely and this is what caused the injury," recalls Czuboka.
Czuboka was only 18-years-old when he left for Korea, wanting to prove that he was a good Canadian citizen.
He was a member of the Second Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and fought in the battle of Kapyong on hill 677.
He says the Chinese wanted to win that hill because they needed it to take Seoul.
But Czuboka's unit fought them off.
"They had to climb this very high hill to get at us and so we directed our artillery mortar fire on top of them. They had a hard time; of course they were out in the open while we were in trenches," said Czuboka.
Czuboka says he saw friends die and a country destroyed by war.
He was chosen to represent the PPCLI Korean War Vets at the Veterans' Affairs Ceremonies in Korea this past summer.
The ceremony marked the 55th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
Czuboka visited a cemetery where more than 300 Canadians are buried.
The forgotten war it may be, but not for Mike Czuboka.
With a report from CTV's Rachel Lagace
