Service members pay tribute to America's veterans Published Nov. 13, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Timothy Kim 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs HOMBOURG, Belgium -- The 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, organized a ceremony to observe Veterans Day Nov. 11, 2014, at the Henri-Chapelle American Ceremony here. U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Meeker, 52nd CES commander and native of Manito, Illinois, spoke at the ceremony in front of his squadron, Airmen from NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, U.S. Coast Guardsmen from U.S. Army Garrison Schinnen, Netherlands, veterans and Belgian citizens on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. "We're here today to honor the sacrifices of 7,992 men who lost their lives and paid the ultimate price so that we may have freedom," Meeker said. "Right on this soil was the last major enemy forces counter-offensive, the Battle of the Bulge, the deadliest battle in the war and ultimately a decisive victory for Allied Forces." Meeker read letters from the World War II era, including correspondence between U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Frederick Anderson to his wife Caroline, illustrating the sacrifices veterans made on behalf of America and its allied countries. "They knew they were marching into near-certain death, and they marched in anyways," Meeker said. "These 7,992 men knew the stakes, they knew the price they were likely to pay and they marched in anyway so that we may have this peace and this freedom we enjoy today. We're here to honor those men today and to mourn their loss." Airmen then laid a wreath during the ceremony in honor of the WWII veterans.