The Maple Leaf

31 March 2010
Vol. 13, No. 11
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Remembering Michelle Lang

by Lt(N) Michele Tremblay

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Padre Yvonne Mills offers a prayer with Col Simon Hetherington (left) and CWO Ghislain Daigle during a ceremony in remembrance of journalist Michelle Lang, who died December 30, 2009, in Afghanistan.

Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang was honoured at a March 13 ceremony at Task Force Kandahar (TFK).

TFK acting commander Colonel Simon Hetherington and Matthew Fisher, a CanWest journalist embedded with TFK, unveiled a mounted, weather-resistant plaque dedicated to Ms. Lang. The plaque, located beside the media tents, bears a photo of Ms. Lang and a text that includes the date and location of her death.

Ms. Lang and four CF soldiers died December 30, 2009, when their armoured patrol struck an IED just outside Kandahar City.

“Michelle was a very good person who was dedicated to explaining to Canadians what was going on here,” Mr. Fisher said. “There are issues of life and death every day out here. This will serve as a reminder to us—everyone that comes through here—that this is very serious business.”

Col Hetherington said he’d met Ms. Lang only briefly but Provincial Reconstruction Team personnel described her as vibrant and energetic. “She wanted to get out, to get the story that might not be so obvious, on development and security,” he said during the ceremony.

Padre Yvonne Mills, TFK’s acting senior padre during the dedication service, described Ms. Lang as a compassionate and caring individual who brought those qualities to the interviews she gave and the stories she wrote. “Her kind demeanour and inquisitiveness helped her get to the heart of a story. Her love for and dedication to others was evident as she spoke of her fiancé and her family. Her devotion to her faith and understanding of hope in the world around her was evident in the articles she wrote. Michelle will be remembered for her love of people, her commitment to journalism and her faith in knowing the truth will be revealed,” Padre Mills said.

This dedication is a reminder that not only Canadian soldiers, airmen, airwomen, sailors and Joint Task Force – Afghanistan special operators, but also Canadian diplomats, journalists and other civilians, place themselves at risk carrying out the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.

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