Harland Vernon Sunde was born on 14 September 1921 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He was the son of Raymond Milton Sunde and Ruth P. Anderson.

He had completed four years of high school and worked as a farmhand. He graduated high school in Alberta, Minnesota, where the family had lived. He had run his own small business working at a convenience-type market in town.

He entered the service on 10 July 1940 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, while living in Stevens, Minnesota. He attended flight school at Helena, Arkansas, class 43-D, however, he earned his pilot's wings on 29 April 1943 at Turner Field, Albany, Georgia, along with class 43-D.

Harland served in the 535th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Flight Officer and Pilot on the B-17 #42-31097 'Mission Belle' during World War II. He died on December 1, 1943, after their mission over Leverkusen, Germany, when their aircraft was hit by flak and attacked by enemy fighters. The airplane was severely damaged, so the crew decided to ditch the airplane in the River Lek between Streefkerk and Nieuw-Lekkerland, Netherlands. During the enemy attack, one member was Killed in Action while two other members, including F/O Sunde, drowned in the river. He attempted to swim to shore but drowned before anyone could reach him. The surviving members were taken as POWs. F/O Sunde is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov