Cpl. James Arnal wanted to live life to the fullest and insisted on returning to Afghanistan despite the inherent dangers, his tearful mother said Friday.
"I had reservations for his second tour and actually asked him to reconsider," Wendy Hayward-Miskiewicz said, her voice breaking. "He replied to me, 'Mom, it's the right thing to do.' I couldn't argue with that. He was raised to care about the things that matter and make a difference."
Arnal, 25, was killed July 18 by a roadside bomb while he was on foot patrol in the Panjwaii district of southern Afghanistan. He is the 88th Canadian soldier to die as part of the Afghan mission.
Another Canadian soldier was injured in the explosion.
Hayward-Miskiewicz was supported by her husband, Raymond Arnal, and another son, Andrew, inside the officers mess at 17 Wing air force base in Winnipeg as she recalled how her soldier son was dedicated to living life to the fullest.
"He was an ambassador for life. He embraced it with every breath," she said.
"Jim's choices in life - to be a soldier, travel the world, tirelessly grow his family and friends, and to love unconditionally - all added to the adventurous melange of experiences that would ultimately blossom into his unexpected and remarkable life's work.
"I truly believe he is on yet another adventure."
The family is still making arrangement's for Arnal's funeral. His body was brought back from Afghanistan to Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario on Tuesday.
His flag-draped casket was lowered from the plane and carried by eight pallbearers to a waiting hearse, where Arnal's mother placed a white rose atop the coffin.
The hearse was then driven south along Highway 401, the Highway of Heroes as it's become known, to Toronto. As has become customary, people lined up on highway overpasses to pay tribute to the fallen soldier.
On Friday, Hayward-Miskiewicz thanked Canadians for the outpouring of support.
"Jim's legacy is pouring in through emails, calls, letters and a number of websites. I always knew he was special and everything we hear and read validates it for us.
"It's all soothing and provides us with comfort."
Arnal was born in Kelvington, Sask. and raised in Winnipeg. He was stationed with 2 Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry at CFB Shilo near Brandon, Man.
In a November 2006 interview with The Canadian Press in Afghanistan, Arnal said he believed soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice should be respected.
"We're here so that these people can have the same opportunities we have back home ... and not have dictatorships such as the Taliban telling them what to do," the then-23-year-old private said.
"I hope they'll be remembered as brave people who stood up for things that other people can't or are too afraid to defend."
His family hopes that for him, too.
