From the day they left England to the end of the war, four Ghost Army soldiers lost their lives. They are buried in four different cemeteries on two continents. This page is dedicated to their memory, a onstant reminder that while the story of the Ghost Army has its moments of whimsy, men bled and died to carry out these missions.
Joseph Passaro |
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Joseph Passaro of the 603rd Camouflage Engineers died on July 21, 1944, as the bulk of the 23rd was about to land on Utah Beach. Passaro, from Queens N.Y., fell through an open hatchway on the onboard the SS John S Mosby before it left port, in England and was grievously injured. He was taken off the ship and brought to the 217th General Hospital, where he lingered on for two days before dying on the 21st. His death is officially listed as a non-combat fatality. He is buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial . The sliver of an mage at left, taken from the edge of a larger photo, is the only portrait we have of him.
Chester Pellicioni
Chester Pelliccioni of the 3132 Signal Service Company was killed on January 9th, 1944. He was the driver of a sonic half-track. He was killed during Operation Metz-2. The unit was impersonating the 90th Division, which involved a lot of "Special Effects" that had them spending many hours outdoors on in bitterly cold weather. “Weege,” as he was called by his family, was killed when a fire he made exploded an unseen German grenade. He is buried at the St. Aloysius Catholic Church Cemetery in Cresson, PA.
Thomas Wells
Captain Thomas Wells, the adjutant of the Headquarters Company, was killed on March 12, 1945. Wells, from Manchester Connecticut, was killed during Operation Bouzonville when an artillery barrage hit the jeep he was in. His daughter, Ruth Wells Danckert, who never knew her father, was active in organizing reunions and publishing newsletters for her father's unit. She passed away in 2012. This picture at left shows a Ghost Army soldier bidding farewell to Captain Wells at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. His body was brought back to the United States and he is buried at the East Cemetery in Manchester Connecticut.
George Peddle
Staff Sergeant George Peddle of the Signal Company, Special, was killed on March 13, 1945, during Operation Bouzonville. Peddle, from Philadelphia, was in charge of a five-man radio team. His radio truck was in a convoy that was shelled near the close of Operation Bouzonville. Peddle was hit by shrapnel, and mortally wounded. According to Bill Anderson, men went to help Peddle, but he said: “Don’t bother, I’m going to die.” At least 15 other men were wounded in the same barrage. Peddle is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial just outside of Luxembourg City.