Kevin Kennedy's death in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan shook his older brother, Michael, to his core. Kevin had followed Michael into the Canadian Forces; two years younger, he had enlisted after his older brother did. He even admitted his older brother was his inspiration. So Kevin Kennedy's death in 2007 changed Michael's life forever — and eventually led him to take up arms against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) this year. Take time to remember, says mother of slain soldier Newfoundland veteran Michael Kennedy released from Iraq prison Kennedy — the 32-year-old Navy veteran from Newfoundland and Labrador who was detained overseas last month — spoke exclusively to CBC News on Friday night, recounting his fight against the ISIS and what led him there. "I would say just to finish something that my brother started when he went over there," Kennedy said from his mother's home in St. Vincent's, N.L., where he returned Wednesday. "My brother had a pure heart and he had good intentions and he just wanted to help people … and I guess that was a big part of it." 'My inspiration' Kennedy travelled to Iraq on June 1, less than three months after he signed his release papers from the Royal Canadian Navy. His detention by Iraqi Kurdish authorities in late November brought his story into the public eye. During his six-month stint in the Middle East, he said he fought alongside the Peshmerga military forces, the YPG militia in Syria and the Sinjar Resistance Units. Michael Kennedy poses for a photo in Sinjar, Iraq. (Submitted by Michael Kennedy) After the Peshmerga, where he worked to train fighters in first aid, Michael moved to a "direct assault unit" in the YPG, which was filled with Western soldiers and where it was easier to get onto the front lines. He said he played a part in an operation south of Sinjar, in Northern Iraq. He called his unit "very effective." "I could feel Kevin with me in what I did," Kennedy said. "Kevin was also my inspiration as I was there. Like I was early on, when Kevin followed me into the military." It was not always so easy; Kennedy admits he was struck with guilt for years following Kevin's death. "It's a hard pill to swallow knowing that my little brother died. It molded my life after his death. And changed my outlook on my life," he explained.
Kevin Kennedy's death in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan shook his older brother, Michael, to his core. Kevin had followed Michael into the Canadian Forces; two years younger, he had enlisted after his older brother did. He even admitted his older brother was his inspiration. So Kevin Kennedy's death in 2007 changed Michael's life forever — and eventually led him to take up arms against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS) this year. Take time to remember, says mother of slain soldier Newfoundland veteran Michael Kennedy released from Iraq prison Kennedy — the 32-year-old Navy veteran from Newfoundland and Labrador who was detained overseas last month — spoke exclusively to CBC News on Friday night, recounting his fight against the ISIS and what led him there. "I would say just to finish something that my brother started when he went over there," Kennedy said from his mother's home in St. Vincent's, N.L., where he returned Wednesday. "My brother had a pure heart and he had good intentions and he just wanted to help people … and I guess that was a big part of it." 'My inspiration' Kennedy travelled to Iraq on June 1, less than three months after he signed his release papers from the Royal Canadian Navy. His detention by Iraqi Kurdish authorities in late November brought his story into the public eye. During his six-month stint in the Middle East, he said he fought alongside the Peshmerga military forces, the YPG militia in Syria and the Sinjar Resistance Units. Michael Kennedy poses for a photo in Sinjar, Iraq. (Submitted by Michael Kennedy) After the Peshmerga, where he worked to train fighters in first aid, Michael moved to a "direct assault unit" in the YPG, which was filled with Western soldiers and where it was easier to get onto the front lines. He said he played a part in an operation south of Sinjar, in Northern Iraq. He called his unit "very effective." "I could feel Kevin with me in what I did," Kennedy said. "Kevin was also my inspiration as I was there. Like I was early on, when Kevin followed me into the military." It was not always so easy; Kennedy admits he was struck with guilt for years following Kevin's death. "It's a hard pill to swallow knowing that my little brother died. It molded my life after his death. And changed my outlook on my life," he explained. 
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