A small plaque affixed to a nondescript wooden post just outside two dusty tents in the sprawling coalition military base in southern Afghanistan bears a tribute to the first Canadian reporter killed in Afghanistan.
The plaque carries a photo of Michelle Lang, 34, the Calgary Herald reporter killed alongside four Canadian soldiers in December when the armoured vehicle in which they were traveling was hit by a roadside bomb.
It sits between the two media tents in the Canadian compound at the Kandahar Airfield base, with the simple inscription: "In memory of Michelle Lang, journalist, Calgary Herald & Canwest, KIA 4:00 p.m. 30 Dec 2009, Kandahar city."
The acting commander of Task Force Kandahar said the military wanted to honour Lang in much the same way it has fallen soldiers.
"If you look around Kandahar, you'll see forward-operating bases, patrol bases and camps that are named after fallen Canadian soldiers," Col. Simon Hetherington said.
"After Michelle's death, it became natural for us to think that given her personality, her dedication and her professionalism, that she should be granted some similar form of recognition."
Lang was only two weeks into her first assignment as a war correspondent for the Herald and Canwest News Service when she was killed while accompanying a patrol in the Kandahar area.
Also killed in that blast were Sgt. George Miok, 28; Sgt. Kirk Taylor, 28; Cpl. Zachery McCormack, 21; and Pte. Garrett Chidley, 21.
Lang's father said her family was honoured that his daughter was being recognized in Kandahar.
"This tribute means a great deal to us, for it will carry her memory and spirit forward as we continue to seek the truth during these difficult and turbulent times," Art Lang said in a statement. "It is our hope that the light she brought into our lives will endure in the hearts and minds of those who follow her path of seeking greater understanding."
Lorne Motley, editor-in-chief of the Calgary Herald, thanked the Canadian Forces for the memorial.
"The military has been wonderfully supportive through this experience -- to the newspaper, to her colleagues, to her friends and family," Motley told The Canadian Press.
"We give them a lot of credit for what they've done in recognition of Michelle and how they've recognized the importance of journalists to their getting their work done in Afghanistan."
Canwest has also created a fellowship in Lang's memory. The Michelle Lang Fellowship in Journalism is a national program that will give a recent Canadian university graduate the chance to combine a passion for writing with an interest in current events.
