Soldier spoke excitedly about Afghan deployment before bombing

About a month before he died in the deadliest day of fighting for Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, Pte. Kevin Kennedy spoke of the excitement in being part of Operation Achilles, a major offensive to drive the Taliban out of Helmand province.

Kennedy, of St. Lawrence, Nfld., could barely contain the rush of adrenaline as he was interviewed by the Canadian Press in early March.

"Everyone is really pumped here this morning," Kennedy said.

"We came here. We've trained for years, and we are finally going to go out and do our job, and we are ready to do it."

Kennedy, 20, was one of four soldiers from the Gagetown, N.B.-based 2nd Battalion, the Royal Canadian Regiment, who died in a roadside bomb attack Sunday in southern Afghanistan. The other dead men were identified as Sgt. Donald Lucas, 31, Cpl. Aaron E. Williams, 23, and Pte. David Robert Greenslade, 20.

Also killed was Cpl. Christopher Paul Stannix, 24, a reservist from the Halifax-based Princess Louise Fusiliers, and a sixth soldier who was not identified at the request of his family.