[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 96 (Tuesday, June 6, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3260]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Honoring the Ghost Army

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, thank you and Senator Cassidy. We just 
came back, as we all know, from the Memorial Day recess. I wanted today 
not to only reflect on that but also to reflect on our anniversary of 
D-day and the day that our Allies invaded France in 1944. In doing so 
today, I would like to speak and pay tribute to all of those--
including, but not limited to, Americans, but especially Americans--who 
risked their lives to defend our freedoms.
  In particular, I come today to recognize a special group of dedicated 
soldiers. You probably have not heard of them, but they are referred to 
as the Ghost Army--the Ghost Army. This is a unit that served in World 
War II. It was comprised of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and 
the 3133rd Signal Service Company. The personnel of this U.S. Army unit 
were handpicked. They were handpicked for their artistic and creative 
characteristics, and you will see why in just a moment.
  They handled top secret information, and they were among some of 
America's most promising artists, engineers, and signals professionals. 
The mission of the Ghost Army was very simple: Fool Adolph Hitler--fool 
Adolph Hitler by using what was called tactical deception. The Ghost 
Army's deceptive creation of fake battles, inflatable tanks, theatrical 
props, and other inventive equipment falsified troop movements, and had 
our enemies chasing ghosts--hence the name the Ghost Army.
  Beginning in Normandy 2 weeks after D-day and ending in the Rhine 
River Valley, the Ghost Army staged over 20 fake battles--fake 
battlefield deceptions. The German Army did not know whether they were 
coming or going, thanks to the Ghost Army. These performances, of 
course, were illusions. They were called illusions by the soldiers. 
They occurred in the most dangerous spot in the war, on the frontline 
of battle.
  Now, without the Ghost Army's dedication and fearless perseverance, 
Allied successes at the Battle of the Bulge and the final battles in Po 
Valley, Italy, would not have been possible. The 23rd unit was composed 
of only 1,184 men--1,200 men. They put themselves at risk every day at 
the forefront of danger, and they fought tirelessly. They used 
ingenious, innovative methods to mislead the enemy, ultimately leading 
the Allies to many victories in Europe. Because of their bravery, 
because of the bravery of the 1,200 men in the Ghost Army, up to 30,000 
American soldiers and 10,000 German soldiers were able to return home 
alive.
  So why are we waiting until today to honor these 1,184 brave 
Americans? Because until recently the Ghost Army's mission was 
classified. It was top secret. Nobody except the members of the Ghost 
Army knew anything about it. This has finally changed. That is one of 
the reasons I am here today. I am proud to be a cosponsor of the Ghost 
Army soldier bill, a bipartisan effort led by Senators Markey, Collins, 
and King. This long overdue legislation will award a Congressional Gold 
Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal 
Service Company.
  It is a privilege to share that, in my home State of Louisiana, the 
Ghost Army is being recognized at the New Orleans Museum of Art. 
Soldier's art is on display depicting many watercolor portraits, as 
well as graphite portraits, of civilians, soldiers, and refugees during 
World War II. It is a legacy that our great State now gets to honor.
  Specifically, I want to recognize six brave men from Louisiana, my 
State, who were members of the Ghost Army. Hilton Howell Railey of New 
Orleans is a prominent journalist and the author of ``Touch'd with 
Madness.'' He recruited several of the handpicked 23rd. Mr. Railey 
trained and deployed the 3133rd Signal Service Company, which served in 
Italy.
  There is Jim Stegg of New Orleans, a longtime faculty member at 
Tulane. He was an artist; in fact, there is a retrospective of his work 
at the New Orleans Museum of Art's Ghost Army exhibit.
  Also, there is Mr. Murphy P. Martin, of St. Martinville, LA; Mr. 
Thomas L. Raggio, of Lake Charles, LA; Mr. Roy L. Ravia, of Calcasieu 
Parish, in my State; Mr. Alvin J. Picard, of Vermilion Parish; and last 
but certainly not least, Mr. Anderson B. Wilson, of Slidell, LA.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Wilson is the only Ghost Army solder still alive 
in Louisiana. I had the rare privilege and the rare honor of speaking 
with Mr. Wilson this morning. In December of 1943, President Roosevelt 
authorized the Ghost Army unit. Only 2 weeks later, in January 1944, 
Mr. Wilson was on his way to Camp Mack Morris, TN, to join the Ghost 
Army. Who says the Federal Government can't move quickly when it wants 
to?
  Mr. Wilson trained there until May, when his unit was shipped out of 
New York to Liverpool, England. It was the largest convoy that at the 
time had ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean. From there, Mr. Wilson and 
his team traveled more than any other unit. From England they went to 
France. They went to Belgium. They went to Holland. They went to 
Luxembourg, and they went to Germany.
  Mr. Wilson and his comrades fought fearlessly through the war's end 
as members of the Ghost Army. In July 1945, Mr. Wilson finally came 
home. However, while he came home safely, he could not even disclose, 
he couldn't even talk about--even to his own family--the honorable 
service unit he was a part of. Now, it is humbling to me to hear a 
man's sacrifice, to go through what he went through and not even be 
able to talk about it with his family, but he kept his word out of 
honor to his country.

  The willingness of Mr. Wilson and his fellow soldiers to risk their 
own lives to defend the freedom we have today--well, it, too, is 
humbling.
  Mr. Wilson returned home in 1945. And I hope he is listening right 
now. He has been a little under the weather. He was in the hospital 
when I spoke to him today. It wasn't until the 1990s, when Mr. Wilson 
was married with two grown children, that he could ever talk about his 
service to this great country, share his stories, share his 
experiences, share his fight to keep the freedoms all of us take for 
granted every day.
  Mr. Wilson's story only gives a snapshot of the sacrifices and 
honorable work these men of the Ghost Army gave to the Allied forces 
victory. And I, for one--and I know all Americans join me--thank them 
for their service and for the freedoms they protected.
  I am proud of this Ghost Army legislation, and I hope to see it move 
forward and pass so that these fine Americans can receive the 
recognition they have long deserved.
  God bless the members of the Ghost Army. And if you are listening, 
Mr. Wilson, God bless you.

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