[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1599-S1600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Ms. Warren):
  S. 2730. A bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd 
Headquarters Special Troops, known as the ``Ghost Army'', collectively, 
in recognition of its unique and incredible service during World War 
II; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Ghost Army 
Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor the 23rd Headquarters Special 
Troops, called the ''Ghost Army,'' which was a top-secret unit of the 
United States Army that served in the European Theater of Operations 
during World War II. The unit was actively engaged in battlefield 
operations from June of 1944 through March of 1945. The deceptive 
activities of the Ghost Army were essential to several Allied victories 
across Europe and are estimated to have saved thousands of lives.
  I was inspired to introduce this bill after hearing the story of Jack 
McGlynn of Medford, MA. I have known Jack for decades going back to my 
time in the Massachusetts State Legislature, but I never knew that he 
was a member of the Ghost Army. Like many World War II Veterans, Jack 
returned home to Massachusetts after the War, started a family, and got 
involved in local politics. Jack was a city councilor, Mayor, and State 
Representative. He kept his service in the Ghost Army a secret from 
everyone, even his wife and 6 children. Finally in 2008, Jack read that 
it was declassified and he finally shared the story with his family and 
friends.
  In evaluating the performance of the Ghost Army after the War, a U.S. 
Army analysis found that ``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.''. Many Ghost Army soldiers were specially 
selected for their mission, and were recruited from art schools, 
advertising agencies, communications companies, and other creative and 
technical professions.
  The first four members of the Ghost Army landed on D-day and two 
became casualties while camouflaging early beach installations. The 
Ghost Army's secret deception operations commenced in France on June 
14, 1944, when Task Force Mason landed at Omaha Beach to draw enemy 
fire and protect the 980th Artillery.
  Task Force Mason was a prelude to full scale tactical deceptions 
completed by the Ghost Army. Often operating on or near the front 
lines, the Ghost Army used inflatable tanks, artillery, air planes and 
other vehicles, advanced engineered soundtracks, and skillfully crafted 
radio trickery to create the illusion of sizable American forces where 
there were none and to draw the enemy away from Allied troops.
  Ghost Army soldiers impersonated other, larger Army units by sewing 
counterfeit patches onto their uniforms, painting false markings on 
their vehicles, and creating phony headquarters staffed by fake 
generals, all in an effort to feed false information to Axis spies. 
During the Battle of the Bulge, the Ghost Army created counterfeit 
radio traffic to mask the efforts of General George Patton's Third Army 
as it mobilized to break through to the 101st Airborne. It also 
provided assistance to elements of 10th Armored Division in the 
besieged Belgian town of Bastogne.
  In its final mission, Operation Viersen, the Ghost Army deployed a 
tactical deception that drew German units down the Rhine River and away 
from the 9th Army, allowing the 9th Army to cross the Rhine into 
Germany. On this mission, the 1,100 men of the Ghost Army, with the 
assistance of other units, impersonated forty thousand men, or two 
complete divisions of American forces, by using fabricated radio 
networks, soundtracks of construction work and artillery fire, and more 
than 600 inflatable vehicles.
  Three Ghost Army soldiers gave their lives and dozens were injured in 
carrying out their mission. Their activities remained classified for 
more than forty years after the war and I believe the extraordinary 
accomplishments of this unit are deserving of belated recognition. The 
United States will be eternally grateful to the Ghost Army for their 
proficient use of innovative tactics throughout World War II, which 
saved thousands of lives and were instrumental in the defeat of Nazi 
Germany.
  I ask all my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation to give a 
Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the Ghost Army.

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