Touching tribute to young fallen veteran at Barrie Legion

A new display at the Barrie Legion is paying tribute to a young veteran who was killed on his last night of tour in Afghanistan in 2010 (Dave Sullivan/CTV News Barrie)

BARRIE, ONT. -

A new display at the Barrie Legion is paying tribute to a fallen veteran, ensuring his legacy lives on.

Private Kevin McKay, born and raised in Horseshoe Valley, served in the war in Afghanistan in 2010. He lost his life on the final night of his tour of duty.

His parents have recently donated some of his possessions to the Barrie Legion, where they are now part of a display to share his story.

"Proud as heck but absolutely broken-hearted," says Beth McKay, Kevin's mother. "As soon as I saw it, it changed everything. It brought it all back to being very close to your heart, easily tearing up."

The uniform he was wore proudly is now part of the display, making sure generations to come remember the sacrifice he made.

"It was kind of stashed away at home, and here it sees the light of day and will be seen by everybody that belongs to the legion," says his father, Fred. "Kevin's friends can come in and see it and have a beer with him sort of, and that means a lot of us."

With an effort to tell the stories of local veterans, the display fits perfectly with the legion's mantra.

"We just felt a relationship with the McKay family and the knowledge of who Kevin McKay was, so we thought it would be an honour to have his equipment here at the legion," says Steve Clover, the historian and public relations officer at the Barrie Legion.

The McKay family hopes that the display helps share his legacy with youth in the same community where Kevin grew up and was educated.

"We know first-hand how much Remembrance Day means to them now," says Beth. "They know all about it, and they know about Kevin."