A prankster. An adrenaline-junkie. An adventurous man who lived life “full, fast and loud.”

That’s how the family and friends of Inver Grove Heights native and U.S. Army Specialist Joseph Kennedy chose to remember him at a press conference held at Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights on Tuesday morning.

Kennedy, who graduated from Simley High School, was killed on April 15 in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, after his unit came under small arms fire by insurgents. His death cut short a promising and humor-filled young life, said family members, who told stories of Kennedy’s antics in a meeting punctuated by both smiles and tears.

“Trying to keep up with this child was a heck of a job,” family member Jo Skoglund said of Kennedy. “He was high energy, more than other children.”

That energy and zest for adventure led Kennedy to join the army in April 2009, his family wrote in a prepared statement. After completing basic training at Fort Bragg, Ga., Kennedy pursued Special Forces training in the hopes of becoming an army engineer and Green Beret. He was eventually transferred to Fort Knox, Ky. to serve with the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. Kennedy left for his first combat tour in Afghanistan in Jan. 2011.

A National Guard representative wasn’t able to provide any details about the circumstances surrounding Kennedy’s death, but Kennedy’s mother, Valerie, said that family members worried for him and knew he had been assigned to “dangerous duty.”

“When that fear came, I just squelched it,” Valerie Kennedy said of her own concerns over Kennedy’s deployment. “We’ve put him in God’s hands many times throughout his lifetime.”

The last time the family heard from Kennedy, his mother said, was the weekend before his death. Funeral arrangements for Kennedy are pending, the family added.

Inver Grove Heights Mayor George Tourville also spoke during the conference, thanking the family and voicing his support on behalf of the city.

“He’s one of ours, he grew up in Inver Grove Heights,” Tourville said. “I think that we can be proud that he was from the city.”

”Joe, we are so lucky to have known you,” said childhood friend Tim Holzemer, who also spoke at the conference. "You made us who were are today, and you are who we can only strive to be tomorrow.”

For photos of Joseph Kennedy, click here.