'We are privileged to have the Army Air Corps in our part of Suffolk and I am always delighted to see the public getting behind our local service personnel. These people put themselves in harm's way on behalf of us all. No praise is high enough for what they do in our name and it is fitting that we should officially honour Wattisham Flying Station in this way.'

On Friday 26th March David Ruffley MP will be taking part in a ceremony, parade and reception that will see Wattisham Flying Station, home to the Army's Apache attack helicopter, being awarded the Honorary Freedom of Stowmarket.

The troops, who will march through the town at 4pm to the Market Place, consist of 150 soldiers from Wattisham and The Minden Band of the Queen's Division, based at Cambridge. In the Market Place, The Mayor of Stowmarket will bestow the Freedom and at the end there will be a flypast by two Apache helicopters and one RAF Sea King helicopter.

At any one time, more than 150 troops from Wattisham are stationed in Afghanistan's Helmand Province operating the Apache helicopter on a four-month tour.

David said:

'I am very glad to see our servicemen and women being honoured in this way by the people of Stowmarket.

'The parade and ceremony will be a very special occasion as it will demonstrate the long-standing close ties between the Wattisham base and the town.'