A legacy lives on

[Editor's Note: The following story is a part of USAG Benelux's "Honoring our Legacy" series in which we tell stories of America's 250-year history, our Soldiers and our enduring legacy. To get involved in the USAG Benelux America 250 campaign, contact [email protected].]

Chièvres Air Base, Belgium - More than 80 years after U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Billie Ramsey parachuted into occupied Belgium after his B-17F bomber, Skunkface, was shot down during World War II, his great-granddaughter, Bella Ramsey, returned to the same region to honor his legacy.

During her visit to Chièvres Air Base (CAB), Bella Ramsey toured the airfield and the headquarters of the 424th Air Base Squadron (424 ABS), where leaders unveiled a hand-drawn portrait of her great-grandfather created by Master Sgt. Anthony Colón Matos, 424 ABS support operations flight chief. The portrait now hangs inside the newly rededicated Ramsey Conference Room.

Ramsey also visited the squadron's "Devil's Den," named in recognition of the squadron's "Red Devils" heritage tied to the Belgian Air Force aerobatic team that was previously stationed at CAB. During the visit, she signed the wall on behalf of her family, received squadron patches and learned more about the installation's history and connection to her great-grandfather's story.

On Feb. 20, 1944, Ramsey's aircraft was shot down over Belgium after sustaining heavy damage during combat operations. After bailing out over Lens, Belgium, which was then part of the base, he was captured by German forces and later spent more than a year as a prisoner of war before eventually escaping as Allied forces advanced across Europe.

For members of the 424th Air Base Squadron, Ramsey's story represents more than a historical event, it's an opportunity to honor a legacy.

"The Bill Ramsey Conference Room is more than a name on a wall," Colón Matos said. "It is part of the collective memory of this unit, a reminder of resilience, courage, sacrifice and perseverance."

Colón Matos explained that squadron members began researching the history of CAB and the 424 ABS in 2024 to strengthen awareness of the unit's heritage and connection to the local community.

During that research, members rediscovered Ramsey's story and realized there was little documented information explaining why the conference room had originally been named in his honor.

"We wanted to rebuild pride in our history," Colón Matos said. "It is our way of reclaiming our Air Force heritage and connecting our current team with Sgt. Ramsey's incredible story of resilience and survival."

He also reflected on the significance of the Allied presence in Belgium during World War II and the enduring partnership between the United States and Belgium.

"For the people of Belgium, the sight of American parachutes descending from the sky represented something greater than war," Colón Matos said. "It represented hope and the anticipation of liberation."

For Bella Ramsey, the visit offered a personal perspective on a man many remember as part of history, but whom she simply knew as family.

"I didn't know him as this man in history," she said. "I knew him in a different way."

Today, Billie Ramsey's story continues to connect generations through a shared legacy of sacrifice, partnership and remembrance that still resonates at Chièvres Air Base more than eight decades later.