The Welsh Guards have recently returned from a successful tour of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Throughout the summer they relentlessly took the fight to the Taliban and conducted over 3242 combat patrols and sustained no less than 1463 attacks from the enemy. These successes were not without some considerable cost including the deaths of 7 soldiers, including the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the highest ranking officer killed in action since the Falkland’s War. In addition, a considerable number of soldiers have been in hospital and are now in rehabilitation centres. Furthermore, we must expect that more will, in the longer term, be mentally invalided by their experiences.<p> The next 10 years promise to make extraordinary demands on the Regiment, serving Welsh Guardsmen, their partners and families and those members of the Regiment who have left through disability or work-related illness. The Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal is designed to support, alleviate and improve the prospects of those consequently in need.<p> •Support the families and dependants of those killed in action by responding promptly to problems of bereavement and hardship. •Support those wounded on operations, particularly those who have had to leave the Army, to assist in finding them new employment and to help them become active family and community members. •Support the families and dependants of those seriously wounded or injured in prolonged recovery situations.