Like so many Canadian soldiers, Capt. Nichola Goddard joined the military as a way to pay for her education. In her case, an English degree.

"I needed a job, I had no money," Goddard told CTV's Lisa LaFlamme in March while on her inaugural tour in southern Afghanistan.

"But somewhere along the way I fell in love with it. I'm probably a lifer now," she said, referring to someone who chooses a career in the military. "So that's just the way it is."

When asked if she ever imagined, as a fresh-faced university student, that she'd one day captain a platoon of men on a mission in dangerous Taliban country, Goddard simply replied: "No, I gotta say" -- a grin breaking out on her suntanned face.

Her ability to accept life's challenges fearlessly and with a smile -- which LaFlamme said was the "first thing you noticed about her" -- was the quality that helped Goddard rise to the position of combat soldier, one of the most respected roles in the military.

LaFlamme spent 12 days embedded with Goddard and a platoon of nearly 40 troops on Operation Peacemaker, a mission intended to gather intelligence and root out Taliban operatives in southern Afghanistan.

"(Goddard) truly believed in this mission," said LaFlamme on Wednesday, hours after she learned of Goddard's death.

The 26-year-old captain lost her life at 6:55 p.m. local time, 24 kilometres west of Kandahar city, in a lengthy firefight with Taliban insurgents.

"She talked a lot about helping the children of Afghanistan -- whatever Canada can do, helping with the desperate situation there. We spoke a great deal because we were together on a 12-day operation in that same region where, tragically, she was killed."

LaFlamme said Goddard's infectious spirit and dedication to the mission garnered tremendous admiration from her fellow soldiers.

"She had the respect, which I think is the most important thing, of her all-male platoon. Nobody questioned her. What she said went; they totally respected her decisions and knew that they were in good hands with her," said LaFlamme.

"And that can be pretty tough for a predominantly male military, when your boss is a woman."

LaFlamme, who admitted there were times during the 12-days when she wondered whether she had the energy to take another step, said she was astonished at how Goddard and her peers seemed so unfettered in the face of adversity.

Goddard, good naturedly, laughed off a question about how she handles sleeping outdoors in overnight temperatures that could drop to -8 degrees Celsius.

"We're sleeping way more out here than we were back in training -- so right now we're really happy."

Goddard served in Afghanistan as an artillery captain. Specifically, a forward observation officer who accompanied ground units and was in charge of calling in any needed artillery and fire support from the air.

The captain betrayed no personal fears when asked if she felt trepidation about her first mission.

"My biggest concern is for my crew. So the big pressure is on me if I make a call and it's the wrong call. But I won't know that until I do it."

Asked how she prepares her unit for the unpredictability of insurgents, in light of an incident just days earlier northeast of Kandahar where a teenaged Afghan attacked Capt. Trevor Greene with an axe, Goddard said diligence, preparation, and knowing what you have control over are the keys to surviving.

"What I focus on with my guys is . . . probably 25 per cent is what we (have control over) -- and we can affect that by knowing our drills, knowing how we're going to react to things, knowing that we know our jobs.

"And then 75 per cent is just reacting to it. So there's very little we can actually control once we roll out of here. So the stuff we can we take positive control of, and the other stuff...we just do what we do best and react to it. "

Goddard was one of about 230 female soldiers currently serving in Afghanistan, where women are serving in ever-greater numbers. While women currently serve mostly in administrative jobs, they're also found on the frontlines as doctors, nurses, pilots, drivers, and -- like Goddard -- in the combat arms.

With files from CTV's Lisa LaFlamme and The Canadian Press