The father of the Canadian soldier slain in a firefight in Afghanistan has denied media reports that his son felt ill-equipped and "hated" his military mission.

Antonio Boneca, father of Cpl. Anthony Boneca, said his son "knew what he was getting into" and "loved being in the Army."

"In all my conversations with my son, there was never any mention of him not being well enough or fit enough to carry out his military duties," Boneca said in a statement released Tuesday. 

Boneca's comments came just hours after his son's girlfriend and her family portrayed the 21-year-old reservist as a disillusioned soldier who was desperate to leave Afghanistan.

"He hated it there," Megan DeCorte told reporters Monday.

"They were told they were going to go out for seven days and they were out for 22 days. All they had were little ration packages and they ran out of food, he lost about 50 pounds."

Megan's father Larry DeCorte, told CTV's Canada AM that Boneca had recently become "disillusioned" with Canada's role in the conflict and had not had the proper training to serve on the frontlines.

"He wasn't ready mentally for this kind of thing," DeCorte told AM from Thunder Bay, Ont., Tuesday.

"When he was over there before, he was guarding a post and doing short patrols, but nothing like this."

A four-year reservist with the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment in Thunder Bay, Ont., Boneca had been trained to handle a rifle and to conduct patrols.

However, this mission was different, DeCorte said.

This time, Boneca and other soldiers who were part of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry battle group were sent to Kandahar to hunt the Taliban.

"He knew the risks, but he didn't realize it was going to be this kind of stuff," DeCorte told AM.

"I'm very angry that this has been done to a young man like this."

Boneca was killed Sunday as Canadian troops battled Taliban gunmen near the village of Pashmul, not far from Kandahar City.

Disillusioned

The deputy commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan told The Canadian Press that all soldiers in battle become disillusioned at some point.

Commenting on the remarks attributed to Boneca, Maj. Todd Strickland said all soldiers who volunteer for duty in Kandahar know they'll face heat, hunger, thirst and a lack of sleep in the field.

But Strickland said all of them, including Boneca, have carried out their responsibilities in spite of their difficulties.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay dismissed the accusations that Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were suffering from low morale.

"The morale of the troops in Afghanistan is literally fantastic as it is back here in Canada," O'Connor told reporters Monday.

O'Connor said he would be surprised if soldiers were being misled about the nature of their operations.

"These operations are well-planned, orders are given, they're all the way down the chain of command. So I am not contesting what Cpl. Boneca said but I'd be surprised if people are misled," he said.

MacKay told CTV Atlantic that while "loss of life" was "a tragic situation," there was "also some comfort in knowing that Canada is making an enormous contribution.

"This mission is making strides to bring about peace to a war-torn country," MacKay said Monday.

Repatriation ceremony

Allowances were made Tuesday for media outlets to have limited access to Boneca's repatriation ceremony.

In a statement, National Defence confirmed media outlets would be allowed to film and photograph Wednesday's ceremony, but no family interviews would be granted.

"There will be some media availability in the form of a photo opportunity," National Defence spokesperson Lt. Morgan Bailey told CTV.ca on Tuesday afternoon.

Media access is decided by the family of the soldier, who was slain as Canadian troops battled Taliban gunmen near the village of Pashmul, near Kandahar City.

Earlier, defence officials said Boneca's next of kin decided not to open the ceremony to media.

Originally, the Conservative government banned public access to repatriation ceremonies but later reversed the move, saying the families could make the decision at their own discretion.

The casket carrying Boneca's remains is expected to arrive at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Rick Hillier and Maj.-Gen. Marc Lessard, Assistant Chief of Land Staff are expected to be present at Wednesday's ceremony.

Taliban
 
Boneca, an only child, was the 17th Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan.

Two other Canadian soldiers were wounded shortly after Boneca was killed in the same area Sunday. They suffered non-life threatening injuries.

The area has long been friendly ground for the Taliban, who have recently upped attacks on coalition troops and Afghan National Police outposts.

While reservists make up about 10 to 15 per cent of Canadian troops, they have accounted for three of the nine troop deaths since January.

With files from The Canadian Press