Past Commander-in-Chief Ken L. Freshley has been actively involved in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; he has been a member in the James A. Garfield Camp 142, Cleveland, Ohio, for over 15 years. He was always interested in history, specifically the Civil War, and the turning point was when his son Mathew, who is a long time Civil War reenactor and that is when during a reenactment, Past Commander-in-Chief Freshley met members of the SUVCW, and the rest is history.

His wife Sue and daughter Rebecca are actively involved in the Auxiliary, and his son Mathew is a member of the SUVCW and in the James A. Garfield Camp #142. Past Commander-in-Chief Freshley is the great, great, great grandson of Pvt. James H. Maloney Co. I K of the 82nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, along with 10 other relatives that served during the Civil War.

He was elected as Commander-in-Chief at the 132nd National Encampment in Brookfield, WI. He has distinguishably served the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War in the following ways: Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief, Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief, National Council of Administration, National Webmaster for 8 years, Department of Ohio Commander, Department Council, Camp 142 Commander; 2 terms in office, Camp 142 Council, and in numerous other offices at the Camp and Department levels.

He was the first to complete and graduate from the SUVCW Memorial University Course for SUVCW Officer Training, he has also received the Meritorious Service Award with Gold Star.

He is currently the Adjutant of Ohio Naval Brigade of the 3rd Military District – S.V.R. He is currently serving as one of the Directors and Webmaster for the SUVCW – Charitable Foundation and a Silver Lincoln Fellow.

Past Commander-in-Chief Freshley served in the United States Navy Submarine Force on both the East and West coasts for 6 years and was awarded 2 Navy Achievement medals and honorably discharged in 1990 as a Sonar Technician Submarines – 2nd Class Petty Officer. He worked in the IT field as a professional consultant engineer. Within the community he is active in organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. He is also a Kentucky Colonel.

He grew up near Cleveland, but he traveled the world while with the USN, and a previous job, and has settled in a small but quaint town of Willoughby, Ohio.