KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Michelle Lang of the Calgary Herald was fondly remembered Saturday by some of the troops, diplomats and journalists whose lives she touched before she was killed in December along with four Canadian soldiers when their armoured patrol struck a huge homemade bomb on the outskirts of Kandahar City.

"Michelle wasn't a civilian or a reporter, she was a Canadian," said Col. Simon Hetherington, the acting commander of Task Force Kandahar, who helped unveil a plaque commemorating Lang on Saturday in front of the camouflage tent that had been her office in Afghanistan.

The plaque, which was mounted on a wooden plinth, included a photo of Lang with the journalist's characteristic broad grin.

"Vivacious, dedicated, full of life," was how Hetherington described the 34-year-old British Columbian, who was to have married Calgarian Michael Louie this summer. "She was telling our stories and informing Canadians about our mission

"In Memory of Michelle Lang, Journalist, Calgary Herald & Canwest, KIA 4:00 PM 30 Dec 2009 Kandahar City," are the words inscribed on the all-weather plaque, which was made by army engineers.

A square slate of black marble etched with Lang's image has also been quietly placed on the Canadian war memorial at the Kandahar Airfield alongside the images of the 140 soldiers and a diplomat who have died in Afghanistan.

It was fitting that Lang, who was the first Canadian journalist to die while embedded with the troops, be remembered in the same place as "the soldiers on our memorial because they all died in the service of peace," Hetherington said.

The colonel and others attending Saturday's unveiling all said that Lang struck them as a journalist who wanted "to get out and get at deeper stories" about Canadian soldiers and civilians who were not involved in combat but worked on programs to improve the lives of Afghans. As a medical reporter in Alberta, Lang was particularly interested in the welfare of Afghan women and children.

The fatal patrol that Lang was part of had set out from the camp where Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team is based. They were to meet with elders in a village near the provincial capital to find new ways that Canada might assist them.

Several soldiers and a young diplomat were seriously injured in the same explosion that killed Lang and Pte. Garrett Chidley of Cambridge, Ont., and Langley, B.C., and the 2 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry of Shilo, Man.; Cpl. Zachery McCormack of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment; Sgt. George Miok of Edmonton's 41 Combat Engineer Regiment; and Sgt. Kirk Taylor of Yarmouth, N.S. and the 84th Independent Field Battery, Royal Canadian Artillery.

"May Michelle's spirit not be forgotten by those who work in this space; may they remember the example she set in being committed to finding the truth and sharing stories of hope with the pain and suffering we often see here in Afghanistan," said Padre Yvonne Mills in a prayer that followed a brief, personal reminiscence of her.

"I was honoured to be interviewed by her, as were other chaplains here in Afghanistan," the padre, who is a major, said. "Her kind demeanour and inquisitiveness helped her to get to the heart of any story she was after. Her love for and dedication for others was evident in how she spoke of her fiance and family."

On what was a day of remembrances, Jess Dutton, who heads the civilian component of the PRT, recalled that Lang emerged from washing "soaking wet" on Christmas morning because she had forgotten her towel. The diplomat loaned her his towel and it became a standing joke between them.

Later, when Lang interviewed Dutton, "she was asking some very difficult questions," he said. "So I was kind of like, 'Whoa, boy. She really is a hard-nosed professional journalist.' "

But even then, Dutton said that Lang's "warmth" was always evident.

Lang's parents, Arthur and Sandra, and fiance issued a statement, expressing their appreciation for the tribute.

"Michelle's family and loved ones are honoured that the spirit which drove her to seek and tell the truth is being recognized in Kandahar," they said.

"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. 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."