[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                RECOGNIZING THE WORLD WAR II GHOST ARMY

  (Ms. KUSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a group of men who 
played a crucial and unique role in the Allied victory in World War II.
  The Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, also known as the Ghost 
Army, used tactical deception to divert enemy troops. Recruited from 
art schools and ad agencies, these men created false radio 
transmissions, along with decoy tanks, planes, and other vehicles, to 
deceive German soldiers while concealing the true movement of our 
Allied troops.
  The unit's members included celebrated artists like Bill Blass and 
Ellsworth Kelly, and men like the late Mickey McKane, who lived in my 
district. Mickey was recruited from the Pratt Institute and put his 
expertise in architectural design to good use on the battlefields of 
Europe.
  The Ghost Army's activities were classified until 1996, which meant 
that for years their heroics went largely unrecognized. Last year, my 
colleague Peter King and I introduced legislation to collectively award 
a Congressional Gold Medal to the unit.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and give the Ghost 
Army the recognition it deserves. I hope you will join me tomorrow 
night on the Hill, where I will be hosting a screening of an acclaimed 
2013 PBS documentary, ``The Ghost Army.''
  As the proud daughter and daughter-in-law of World War II veterans, I 
am honored to advocate for those who sacrificed so much for our 
victory. I urge my colleagues to join me in these efforts.

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