Effort to Award Congressional Gold Medal to Secretive Army Units Moves Forward
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The campaign to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the “Ghost Army” – the highly secretive WWII Army units that specialized in creative deceptions on the battlefields of Europe – achieved a critical milestone this week when legislation to honor the soldiers achieved its 290th House sponsor.
 
That moves HR 707 closer to House passage since the rules allow floor consideration of legislation with more than 290 cosponsors (two-thirds of the members). The bipartisan bill, originally submitted six years ago, was introduced by Rep Annie Kuster (D-NH), with Rep Chris Stewart, (R-UT) as the Republican co-lead. Companion legislation will follow soon in the Senate.
 
“This year may finally be the year that these little-known but highly significant U.S. Army units get the honor and recognition they deserve by awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal,” said Rick Beyer, president of the Ghost Army Legacy Project. “And with only about a dozen surviving Ghost Army veterans still living, the time is now to get this bill through Congress.”
 
The existence of the Ghost Army was top secret for more than 40 years until it was declassified in 1996. That’s when the public first learned of the creative and daring techniques the Ghost Army employed to fool and distract the enemy about the strength and location of American troops, including the use of inflatable tanks, sound effects, radio trickery and impersonation.
 
The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops staged more than 20 deception operations, often operating dangerously close to the front lines, in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, with a sister unit, the 3133rd Signal Company Special, operating in Italy. They have been called “a traveling road show of deception,” with a unit of only 1,000 troops looking and sounding like more than 20,000. They are credited with saving an estimated 30,000 lives with one U.S. Army analyst saying, “Rarely, if ever, has there been a group of such a few men which had so great an influence on the outcome of a major military campaign.”​
 
The Congressional Gold Medal is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions.  Dating back to the American Revolution, The Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom are the highest civilian awards in the United States.
 

“Today, we would call what the Ghost Army did ‘psy-ops,’ or an early form of ‘deep fakes’,” Beyer said. “Their deception techniques were incredibly creative and effective, but because
their involvement was secret for so long, they haven’t got the recognition they deserve. The legislation to award the Ghost Army the Congressional Gold Medal will finally change that.”
 
Surviving Ghost Army veterans are scattered throughout the U.S., in Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah. For more information see www.ghostarmylegacyproject.org.
 
Contact:
Rick Beyer
President
Ghost Army Legacy Project
781-801-3261
rick@ghostarmy.org
 
 
 
 
 
 

The National D-Day Memorial Foundation, which operates the Natonal D-Day Memorial, has announced that it strongly endorses an effort to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and 3133rd Signal Company Special. 

Foundation president April Cheek-Messier wrote in a letter to Congress that the Gold Medal should be awarded "in recgnition of their unique and highly distinguished service as a 'Ghost Army' that conducted deception operations in Europe during WWII."

The National D-Day Memorial is a war memorial located in Bedford, Virginia. It serves as the national memorial for American D-Day veterans.

More than 75 years after serving in Brittany, a once-secret U.S. Army unit will be recognized on French soil for the first time, with the support of the Embassy of the United States of America in France. The Embassy, in collaboration with the U.S. Consulate for Western France, has awarded a grant to the Ghost Army Legacy Project to commemorate the Ghost Army’s actions in the Battle of Brest in August 1944.  

“I’m deeply grateful that the Embassy is helping celebrate these creative soldiers whose deception missions saved lives and help defeat Hitler’s legions,” said Rick Beyer, president of the Ghost Army Legacy Project. The purpose of the grant, according to the U.S. Department of State, is “to strengthen U.S.-France relationship by highlighting shared WWII history in Brittany and common values to new generations.” 

The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, nicknamed The Ghost Army, was a top-secret U.S. Army unit that used inflatable tanks, sound effects, radio subterfuge and illusion to deceive the Germans on the battlefields of Europe. Operation BREST was the unit’s first full-scale mission.   
​
The commemoration includes design and fabrication of a dual-language historical marker in Plabennec, France (near Brest), plus a dedication ceremony, a documentary film screening hosted by producer Rick Beyer, a local exhibition at Musée Memoires 39-45, and publicity to engage French and global audiences.  The U.S. Consulate for Western France, based in Rennes, will participate in these events. 

Project partners include the commune of Plabennec and the Musée Memoires 39-45.  Additional support comes from Massachusetts Society Children of the American Revolution and the Ghost Army Legacy Project. Paul Singer, son of Ghost Army veteran Arthur Singer, is designing the marker.    

 The Ghost Army Legacy Project installed the first-ever Ghost Army historical marker in Bettembourg, Luxembourg in 2018, with the support of the United States Embassy, Luxembourg.  
 
 
 

More than six hundred people attended the opening of a new Ghost Army exhibit at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.The exhibit, entitled “Ghost Army: Combat Con Artists of WWII” opened March 5. 
 
Three Ghost Army veterans, Bernie Bluestein, Seymour Nussenbaum, and Stanley Nance, were in attendance, along with the families of twenty other Ghost Army veterans. There were also soldiers from the U.S. Army's 4th Psychological OperationS Group - Airborne.  
 
The opening night photos below were  taken by Frank Aymami. The videos were shot by Dillard Morrison, the director of photography for the Ghost Army documentary 

You can also watch the Livestream of the event here.  

On Friday, March 6, the Ghost Army Legacy Project hosted a luncheon at the National WWII Museum for Ghost Army veterans, family members and friends.  Members of the GALP Board discussed the accomplishments and ongoing intiatives of the oganization. SFC Tim Miller of the US. Army's 4th PSYOPS group talked (guardedly) about some of what the US Army is doing today to achieve information superiority on and off the battlefield.  Photos by Jeff Strout.

The National World War II Museum in New Orleans will unveil a new exhibit on the Ghost Army March 5, 2020. It’s entitled Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II, and will occupy the first floor of the museum's brand new Hall of Democracy. The Ghost Army Legacy Project is working with the museum to develop the exhibit.  

The museum has commissioned several new inflatables and is developing interactive elements to help visitors simulate taking part in sonic and radio deception. Oral histories will appear on TV screens. There are plans to recreate the façade of a phony HQ from one of the operations. It will also feature uniforms and personal items donated by veterans and their families.

The exhibit opening on March 5 at 5 PM, featuring remarks by curator James Linn and Ghost Army author/filmmaker RIck Beyer, is open to the public. It is also expected that a number of Ghost Army veterans will attend.  You can reserve a space here. The opening night event will also be streamed on Livestream.

Two student projects about The Ghost Army earned high honors at the national finals of the 2019 National History Day Contest. The theme of this year's contest was "Triumph and Tragecdy."

​Madeline Christanson of Lakeside Junior High School in Orem Utah, received a special World War II History prize, sponsored by the National World War II Museum. Madeline is the great-grand-daughter of Ghost Army veteran Stanley Nance. On her way home from the finals, Madeline and her family visited Ghost Army veterans along the route to share the news and thank them for their service.  

​More than half-million students entered the competition, but only 3,000 of them advanced through the local, state and affiliate rounds to earn their place in the National Contest.
Competitors represented 57 affiliate members, including every state, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and international schools in South Korea, South Asia, and China. “I do not envy our judges at this level,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “The students who made it here are tenacious. They spent many hours over several months researching, fine-tuning, and enhancing their entries. It takes a distinctive, dynamic project to win at nationals.
Congratulations to the students who created the prize-winning Ghost Army projects, and to all the students who took part in the competition.

The Ghost Army Legacy Project is happy to offer assistance to students creating Ghost Army projects. 
 

Gil Seltzer is 104 years old, but he still has vivid memories of his time in the Ghost Army 75 years ago. He sat down for a StoryCorps interview with his granddaughter, Sarah Seltzer, and an edited version of it appeard on NPR Weeknd Edition this morning. 

A bipartisan group of representative and Senators are renewing an effort to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Ghost Army of World War II. 

In the House of Representative, Democrat Annie Kuster of NH and Republican Peter King of New York have introduced HR 2350, a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133 Signal Service Company.  

“It’s an honor to sponsor this bipartisan legislation to honor the unsung heroes of the Ghost Army whose innovative tactics sowed confusion among enemy forces during World War 2,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “The members of the Ghost Army, including Granite Stater Mickey McKane, saved countless Allied lives through their visual and acoustic deception. It’s long past time that these brave Americans were recognized for their contributions to the war effort during WWII, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.”
“I commend Rep. Kuster for introducing this legislation which honors the critical role of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops (“Ghost Army”) during World War II. Their heroics were unknown for more than 40 years and it is finally time that the American people not only learn about but recognize their ingenuity and selflessness which saved countless American and Allied lives. They deserve their due,” said Congressman King.

In the Senate, the gold medal effort ​is being led by Sens. Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, who have introduced S 1421. Nine other Senators have co-sponsored the bill. 

“These brave soldiers brought unique, creative skills to the most dangerous and critical missions,” said Senator Markey. “They epitomized the American can-do, innovative spirit. Against the odds, they convinced the enemy forces that they were the ones at a tactical disadvantage. It’s time these brave patriots are recognized for their critical contributions to the Allied victory in World War II.”

“Our nation will always be grateful to the members of the ‘Ghost Army’ soldiers who served with distinction during World War II,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would recognize these soldiers with Congress’ highest civilian honor for their courage and resourcefulness, which were pivotal in the European theater and likely saved many American lives.”

The bi

The Ghost Army Legacy Project today published 52 wartime letters from Sergeant Harold J. Dahl on its website. These letters document his experiences from first joining the 603rd camouflage Engineers in 1942 until returning home in 1945. They cover such topics as  life in the Army, being called on to carry out a secret deception mission, heading overseases, confronting the horrors of war, and the celebration at war's end. A special postscript explores the story of a wartime romance and a search through historical archives for an answer to a 75-year old mystery.
 
“We are thrilled to offer more primary source materials to people researching the Ghost Army,” says Rick Beyer, President of the Ghost Army Legacy Project, “especially students doing National History Day projects.”
 
Harold Dahl enlisted in 1942 and rose to the rank of Sergeant in the 603rd Camouflage Engineers. The Dahl collection is one of the largest and most varied in the Ghost Army Legacy Project Archive.  There are five boxes containing 431 items. Donated by Dahl’s family.  The collection includes several hundred original wartime photos, and 225 letters that Dahl sent home over the course of the war. There are also a variety of other items including newspaper clippings, manuals, maps, a flattened C-Ration can, and more.