QPR honours soldiers

Tuesday November 3, 2009

QUEENS Park Rangers are honouring soldiers returning from some of the fiercest fighting in Afghanistan with free tickets to a home game this month.

The Rs' Championship fixture against Coventry City on November 28 promises to be a special occasion for the troops of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers, based at Hounslow Barracks, after the club gave the service men and women 500 free matchday tickets.

Family members and friends of the soldiers will also be invited to the match as the club shows its 'gratitude and appreciation' to the troops who have been returning home since last month.

QPR's deputy managing director Ali Russell told h&f news: "We're delighted that the club and Hoops fans will be able to show their appreciation and gratitude to our fearless soldiers.

"It puts football into perspective when you consider what our troops have been through."

As well as watching all the action unfold from Loftus Road's Ellerslie Road stand, the troops will provide a guard of honour prior to kick-off and also take part in a lap of honour.

Sgt Mark Duckett from the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers spoke about the recent fighting in Afghanistan in the battalion's newsletter.

"We were on the receiving end of several unpleasant former Soviet block weapons, RPGs, anti-aircraft heavy machine guns and grenade launchers," he writes.

"In the small hours, a large group of insurgents mounted an attack on our tower from multiple firing points.

"Unfortunately for the insurgents, they had unwisely chosen to use tracer ammunition, a distinct advantage to our gunners.

"More importantly the attack coincided to the minute with an overflying fully-armed and fuelled United States Marine Corps Apache gunship, flown by a gifted pilot and crewed by an accurate and highly enthusiastic gunner.

"With our anti-tank gunners giving a target indication it was a bit one-sided - and the last night attack we saw for a considerable time!"

The 600 officers and soldiers of the Second Fusiliers are due to be deployed to Celle, Germany, next year and Cyprus in 2013.