The family of the late Major Kevin McCool, a 32-year-old British soldier who was killed in Kenya on November 29 has paid tribute to him describing him as a special man who was adored by everyone.
According to his father, the Major had only three days of duty left in Kenya and was supposed to be heading back home before his tragic demise.
The Ministry of defense stated that the soldier was shot dead by gunmen while he was on a bike ride away from the base up a local mountain.
In addition, he revealed that his son must have thought that the gun drawn by the unknown individuals was not real and let down his guard.
‘I don’t know what to say. Every life is precious, but this guy was really, really special. He was loved, I am tempted to say adored, by his fellow officers. We are getting that from the horse’s mouth.
“That is what we are being told by top brass because he was so good. He had three days left on that tour of duty and decided to go out on his scrambler motorbike for one last ride up a local mountain,” he stated.
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The Life of British Soldier Major Kevin McCool
At the same time, his father described him as an outgoing person who took risks and participated in different activities including sports and music.
Some of the activities he participated included marathons, playing the piano among other musical instruments.
“He was 1,500m Ulster champion. He ran for Ireland. He played piano, harp, tin whistle. He went to Sandhurst. He progressed up the ranks very quickly to be a major.
“He won several military cross-country races and various sporting events. A very strong sporting guy,” he added.
Also, he revealed that his eldest son Fergal and wife Joan travelled to Kenya to be with Kevin before he passed away from his injuries.
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Notably, the British soldier leaves behind his mother and father, Joan and Joseph, his brothers, Fergal and Brendan and his sisters, May, Alice and Margaret.
McCool Eulogized by His Commander
Additionally, McCool’s Commanding Officer eulogized him as a man of integrity and moral courage adding that in his last days, he had volunteered to be deployed to the location where he had come from when the commander asked.
He noted that the soldier was loved by his colleagues and will be dearly missed.
“A man of the utmost integrity, he was fearless and oozed moral courage. I will never forget my final memory of him, which was on operations; he had just come off the ground having slept a handful of hours in as many days.
‘We discussed the possibility of having to deploy another team into the operational furnace from which he had just come. He stopped me mid-sentence, fixed me with his piercing blue eyes, and simply said, ‘send me’,” the commander stated.
Also, he stated that the soldier had previously served in different locations including Europe, the Middle East, the Falklands and Africa.
