All this week, we have been reporting on the role being played by Oxfordshire's servicemen and women in Afghanistan.

All are carrying out tough jobs in extremely difficult conditions.

Few people, even family and friends, fully appreciate the sacrifice they are making.

Life in Afghanistan is hard. The weather is harsh, and living conditions are basic.

Soldiers are living essentially in holes in the sand, eating Army rations and living under constant fear of attack.

Yet they do not complain - they accept it as a soldier's job. But as hard as life is there, it is even harder for their families back in Oxfordshire.

While soldiers and airmen dedicate themselves to the task in hand, their loved ones wait anxiously for the day they return home.

We owe it to all our boys and girls in Afghanistan to get behind them and their families.

It is up to us to give them the respect they deserve - and to make sure that, when they return, they get a hero's welcome.