The medals were presented at a ceremony at the Victory Services Club in London by Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards
UK - Capital Sound project manager Charlie Ellery has been awarded an Operational Service Medal in recognition of his astonishing 19 tours to Afghanistan and The Iraq Medal for his eight tours to Iraq, which amount to 176 days in total as a production and tour manager in operational areas.

For the past 10 years UK audio rental company Capital Sound has been working with CSE Forces Entertainment to support British troops in the Middle East, providing sound for the shows that are a vital part of keeping moral high.

More than 45 days must be served in operational areas for recipients to qualify for the awards. As Charlie received his medals, Nicky Ness, Controller of BFBS Radio and Director of Entertainment, read his citation and said, "He's eaten roughly 80 RAF paninis and suffered approximately 160 hours of indigestion as a result! If the RAF did air miles, he'd have enough to fly to the moon (via Mars, the lost city of Atlantis and Birmingham)."

She went on to comment, "Anyone who's worked with Charlie will know and appreciate his absolute commitment to getting the job done. He is seemingly indefatigable and always willing to go the extra mile. He has worked miracles in the desert - even when kit hasn't arrived he has begged, borrowed and stolen equipment to ensure that the boys and girls still get some kind of show.

"Charlie has shown total dedication to bringing our forces a morale boost and we are delighted he has received these medals."

"We are incredibly proud of Charlie," said Capital Sound MD Keith Davis. "Our work with the armed forces is something we don't talk about very often, but to have one of our staff honoured in this way makes all the hard work even more worth it."

(Jim Evans)


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