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Slain Canadian journalist Michelle Lang, the 34-year-old Calgary Herald reporter killed last year in Afghanistan.

One year ago today, on Dec. 30, 2009, as Canadians at home basked in the glow of the festive season, four Canadian soldiers and one journalist, Michelle Lang of The Calgary Herald, died when the light-armoured vehicle LAV in which they were riding hit a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) during a patrol south of Kandahar City in Afghanistan.

Four other soldiers and one Foreign Affairs policy analyst from Ottawa. were badly wounded.

The incident captured widespread attention when it occurred. But like so much else in Afghanistan, it faded quickly from the public mind after the ramp ceremony, the repatriation of the bodies and the funerals.

The full story of that day _ and what happened to the survivors, the wounded and their families over the next year _ is finally being told today in the pages of The Globe, through an investigative report by The Canadian Press.

Colin Perkel, who has reported from Afghanistan for The Canadian Press and who is the author of the special report, was online with us Thursday from 1-2 p.m. ET to take your questions about the incident and his investigation.

See below for a transcript of the discussion. Or read it on our mobile-friendly webpage.

Editor's Note: Because of the highly personal nature of this story and the tragic impact the incident has had on so many Canadians , please be advised that our discussion hosts will be accepting only those questions/comments that directly relate to the IED tragedy and to the broad issues related to the mission. We will not publish any attacks on the individuals involved, the military or military families in this discussion forum.



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