A GROUP of American soldiers who have served their country in the Middle East have had their dedication to duty rewarded ¿ with a free cruise to Bermuda.

Eighty-five members of the Utah National Guard are scheduled to arrive on the island next month thanks to the generosity of a card manufacturer based in Riverton, Utah.

The company booked the cruise for sales staff who met performance targets ¿ and discovered that it had 85 cabins spare.

But instead of selling them off, company bosses decided to donate them to local military personnel. The names of active guard members who had served ¿ or were due to serve ¿ in Iraq or Afghanistan were entered into a draw and 85 names were pulled out.

But the lucky winners were kept in the dark until the last possible moment. Each was ordered to attend the Utah National Guard Headquarters in Draper last week.

It was only then that the soldiers were told: "You're all going to Bermuda t the end of March this year."

The troops, who can each invite a guest, will set sail from New York on March 29 and, after two days at sea, spend another four days on the island.