[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H232-H235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GHOST ARMY CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT
Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 1404) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23d Headquarters
Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Service Company, popularly known as
the ``Ghost Army'', in recognition of their unique and highly
distinguished service in conducting deception operations in Europe
during World War II.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1404
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Ghost Army Congressional
Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the 23d Headquarters Special Troops (comprised of the
23d Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops,
the 603d Engineer Camouflage Battalion, the 406th Combat
Engineer Company, the 3132d Signal Service Company, and the
Signal Company, Special, 23d Headquarters, Special Troops)
and the 3133d Signal Service Company were units of the United
States Army that served in Europe during World War II;
(2) the 23d Headquarters Special Troops was actively
engaged in battlefield operations from June of 1944 through
March of 1945;
(3) the 3133d Signal Service Company was engaged in
operations in Italy in 1945;
(4) the deceptive activities of these units were integral
to several Allied victories across Europe and reduced
casualties;
(5) in evaluating the performance of these units after
World War II, an 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.'';
(6) many Ghost Army soldiers were citizen-soldiers
recruited from art schools, advertising agencies,
communications companies, and other creative and technical
professions;
(7) the first 4 members of the 23d Headquarters Special
Troops landed on D-Day and 2 became casualties while creating
false beach landing sites;
(8) a detachment of Army radio operators under the command
of Lieutenant Fred Fox joined the invasion fleet for a
planned deception, Operation Troutfly, which was cancelled;
(9) Lieutenant Fox's men and their radios were instead
attached to the 82d Airborne, which had lost 95 percent of
its radio equipment, providing critical communications as the
82d Airborne fought its way inland;
(10) the secret deception operations of the 23d
Headquarters Special Troops commenced in France on June 14,
1944, when Task Force Mason, a 16-man detachment of the 23d
led by First Lieutenant Bernard Mason, arrived in Normandy;
(11) Lieutenant Mason and his men set up dummy artillery to
draw enemy fire and protect the 980th Field Artillery
Battalion (VIII Corps) as part of the Normandy Campaign;
(12) the rest of the soldiers of the 23d Headquarters
Special Troops arrived in France in July and August of 1944;
(13) full-scale deception efforts began with Operation
Elephant from July 1 to 4, 1944, in which the 23d
Headquarters Special Troops covered the movement of the 2d
Armored Division when it left a reserve position to go into
the line between the First United States and Second British
Armies;
[[Page H233]]
(14) Operation Elephant was the first of the 21 full-scale
tactical deceptions completed by the 23d Headquarters Special
Troops;
(15) often operating on or near the front lines, the 23d
Headquarters Special Troops used inflatable tanks, artillery,
airplanes 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;
(16) the 3132d and the 3133d Signal Service Companies,
activated in Pine Camp (now Fort Drum), New York, at the Army
Experimental Station in March and June of 1944, respectively,
were the only ``sonic deception'' ground combat units of the
United States in World War II;
(17) soldiers of the 23d Headquarters Special Troops
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;
(18) during the Battle of the Bulge, the 23d Headquarters
Special Troops created counterfeit radio traffic in an effort
to deceive the enemy of the movement of elements of General
George S. Patton's Third Army as it shifted to break through
to the 101st Airborne Division and elements of 10th Armored
Division in the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne;
(19) in its final mission, Operation Viersen, in March
1945, the 23d Headquarters Special Troops conducted a
tactical deception operation intended to draw German units
down the Rhine River and away from the Ninth Army, allowing
the Ninth Army to cross the Rhine into Germany;
(20) during Operation Viersen, the 23d Headquarters Special
Troops, with the assistance of other units, impersonated 2
complete divisions of American forces by using fabricated
radio networks, soundtracks of construction work and
artillery fire, and hundreds of inflatable and real vehicles;
(21) according to a military intelligence officer of the
79th Infantry, ``There is no doubt that Operation Viersen
materially assisted in deceiving the enemy with regard to the
real dispositions and intentions of this Army.'';
(22) 3 soldiers of the 23d Headquarters Special Troops gave
their lives and dozens were injured in carrying out their
mission;
(23) in April 1945, the 3133d Signal Service Company
conducted Operation Craftsman in support of Operation Second
Wind, the successful Allied effort to break through the
German defensive position to the north of Florence, Italy,
known as the Gothic Line;
(24) along with an attached platoon of British engineers,
who were inflatable decoy specialists, the 3133d Signal
Service Company used sonic deception to misrepresent troop
locations along this defensive line;
(25) the activities of the 23d Headquarters Special Troops
and the 3133d Signal Service Company remained highly
classified for more than 40 years after the war and received
minimal recognition;
(26) the extraordinary accomplishments of this unit are
deserving of belated official recognition; and
(27) the United States is eternally grateful to the
soldiers of the 23d Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d
Signal Service Company for their proficient use of innovative
tactics during World War II, which saved lives and made
significant contributions to the defeat of the Axis powers.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Award Authorized.--The President Pro Tempore of the
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of
Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to the 23d
Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Services
Company, known collectively as the ``Ghost Army'', in
recognition of unique and highly distinguished service during
World War II.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the award
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall strike
the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Smithsonian Institution.--
(1) In general.--Following the award of the gold medal
under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the
Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be available for
display as appropriate and made available for research.
(2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal
received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere,
particularly at other locations associated with the 23d
Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Services
Company.
(d) Duplicate Medals.--The Secretary may strike and sell
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck under this Act,
at a price sufficient to cover the cost of the medals,
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses.
SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDAL.
(a) National Medal.--The medals struck under this Act are
national medals for the purposes of chapter 51 of title 31,
Unites States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purpose of section 5134 of title
31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act
shall be considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO USE FUND AMOUNTS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authority to Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to
be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise
Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of
the medals struck under this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 3(d) shall
be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise
Fund.
SEC. 6. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purposes of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1404, the Ghost
Army Congressional Gold Medal Act. I thank the gentleman from
Massachusetts, Senator Markey, and the gentlewoman from New Hampshire,
Congresswoman Kuster, for their work on this bill which honors the
resourcefulness, imagination, and artistry of the men of the 23rd
Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Company in conducting
deception operations in Europe during World War II.
This 1,100-man unit, known collectively as the Ghost Army, was made
up of individuals recruited from creative fields, including art
schools, theater and communications companies, and advertising
agencies. Their mission was to draw upon their creative and artistic
talents to lure the German Army away from the Allied combat units
through a series of tactical deception operations meant to confuse,
deceive, and mislead.
Following the D-Day landing in France, the Ghost Army undertook a
traveling road show utilizing fake radio transmissions, inflatable
tanks, and theatrical sound and atmospheric effects to misdirect German
units away from actual Allied unit locations and toward larger
imaginary ones.
The artists, architects, and engineers of the Ghost Army were so
effective that a later Army analysis of their performance found that
``rarely, if ever, has there been a group of such few men which had so
great an influence on the outcome of a major military campaign.''
Yet, despite the overwhelming success of the citizen soldiers of the
Ghost Army, their contributions remained classified for over 40 years,
and their bravery and ingenuity was never formally recognized.
This bill honors their unique contributions to the war effort by
directing the Mint to strike a gold medal in honor of the Ghost Army.
The gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it
will be available for display and serve as recognition of the
incredible service of the men of the Ghost Army during World War II.
I thank Mr. Markey and Ms. Kuster for their work on this bill, and I
urge Members to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1404, the Ghost Army
Congressional Gold Medal Act, the Senate version of H.R. 707, which the
House passed in May 2021.
The Ghost Army, comprised of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, is
renowned for creating large-scale deception operations capable of
pulling Axis focus away from the actual movements of the Allied forces.
[[Page H234]]
During the early phases of World War II, the 23rd division mastered
their skill of deception by studying unit atmosphere and collecting
materials for their new special effects tactics.
Knowing that enemy ground agents looked for vehicle bumper markings,
Allied shoulder patches, and well-defined checkpoints, the 23rd
collected shoulder patches for phony major generals, created realistic
inflatable vehicles and artillery, and even recorded the sounds of
heavy machinery movements to sell their deception. They built their own
modern-day Trojan horse, down to the last detail.
The Ghost Army, unlike many other units, was comprised of civilian
soldiers with a proclivity for art, architecture, acting, set design,
and engineering.
As Jack Masey, who was recruited into the Ghost Army at age 18,
remembered: ``We were told we were going to be using inflatable
equipment to try and fool the Germans into thinking that we were a real
army, when we were, in effect, I suppose, a rubber army.''
{time} 1245
Anyone who has watched a History Channel World War II documentary has
undoubtedly seen the Ghost Army in action. The historic videos and
herculean photos of four men holding a tank over their heads is a
testament to the Ghost Army's ingenuity and bravery during World War
II.
The 23rd did not limit their deception to the battlefield. In fact,
on numerous occasions Ghosters were dispatched to French cafes near the
front of the war to order some omelets and talk loose among the spies
who might be there. The 23rd would go to great lengths to cause chaos
and confusion, and they succeeded.
Mr. Speaker, recognizing these true American heroes hits close to
home for me, as the 77th Ghost Army veterans originated from the great
State of Kentucky.
There is no doubt that the Ghost Army saved thousands of lives during
World War II. Their unique and highly distinguished service during this
great war should be recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal. I urge
my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Ms. Kuster, for her leadership on
this, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DEAN. I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New
Hampshire (Ms. Kuster).
Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of
veterans who have gone unrecognized for far too long.
In World War II, top secret units known as the Ghost Army used combat
deception to literally fool the Nazis. Their mission to was to divert
enemy forces away from American combat units so that our troops faced
less resistance. This required creativity and a special kind of
courage.
Whereas a typical American unit had tanks made of steel, the Ghost
Army, as you have heard from my colleagues, Mr. Barr and Ms. Dean,
built tanks made of rubber and wood. Using inflatable equipment and
sonic deception, the Ghost Army made it appear as if there were tens of
thousands of combat troops when there were literally none.
If the Germans ever discovered this ruse, the Ghost Army would have
been annihilated. Throughout the war, the Ghost Army took this risk
and, using their creativity and artistic talents, played a decisive
role in Allied combat operations.
As Mr. Barr noted, in evaluating the performance of these units after
World War II, an Army analysis found rarely, if ever, has there been a
group of such few men who had such great influence on the outcome of a
major military campaign. I might note that was the campaign that turned
the tide of World War II.
To this day, combat deception units in the Army learn about the
tactics that were used by the Ghost Army so many years ago. In this
sense, the brave actions of the Ghost Army still are keeping Americans
safe to this day.
The Ghost Army's combat deceptions were so effective that the Army
kept them classified for over 40 years after the war. Because of this
classification, the great men of the Ghost Army were never properly
recognized for their heroism and contributions to defeating fascism in
Europe.
Mr. Speaker, as noted, the House passed the Ghost Army Congressional
Gold Medal Act that I introduced last spring. The Senate is now asking
passage of the companion bill, S. 1404, introduced by Mr. Markey. This
would right the wrong by awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to those
living members of the Ghost Army. We will recognize the families of
those who have passed.
I am proud that 75 years after their service, the Ghost Army is
finally getting some of the recognition it earned.
I also want to take a moment to recognize the contributions of so
many individuals in getting this bill over the finish line.
First, I want to thank my colleague, Representative Stewart, and his
staff for dedicating themselves to this bill.
I also want to recognize a good friend of mine, Rick Beyer, and Roy
Eichhorn. These two historians helped rediscover the Ghost Army's story
and share it with the world.
Finally, I want to recognize all of the members of the Ghost Army
Legacy Project. This coalition, made up largely of family members of
Ghost Army veterans, worked tirelessly to help Representative Stewart
and myself secure the 292 House cosponsors necessary to pass this bill.
It is a testament to this institution that a handful of passionate
citizens, without the help of any special interest groups or lobbyists,
can build the support necessary to send this legislation to President
Biden's desk. So it is fitting that we pass this bill today.
Of the more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II,
barely more than 240,000 are still alive, including just nine members
of the Ghost Army. We should never forget the contributions of the
Ghost Army and all the servicemembers in World War II to preserve
democracy around the world.
This is personal for me because my father, Malcolm McLane, was a
fighter pilot and a POW during World War II. While today we rightfully
single out the brave actions of the Ghost Army, I hope we also take a
moment to remember all of our World War II veterans.
In closing, I want to note what made the Ghost Army special was not
just their extraordinary courage but their creativity. Their story
reminds us that listening to unconventional ideas, like using visual
and sound deception, can help us solve existential challenges like
defeating tyranny.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the bill.
Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from
Pennsylvania. I thank my friend and colleague from New Hampshire.
I would just reiterate the significance of the Ghost Army. I thank my
colleagues for recognizing these extraordinary members of the Greatest
Generation and their significant contributions to our country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1404, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Ms. DEAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
On a personal note, I would like to recognize First Lieutenant
Bernard Mason, mentioned in the text of this bill, for his leadership
in leading the 16-man detachment of the 23rd Headquarters Special
Troops during the invasion of Normandy. Lieutenant Mason was a
constituent of mine before his passing, and his wife and children still
live in my district. I want to thank them for Lieutenant Mason's life
and service. Today we are finally honoring his service and those of his
brothers-in-arms in perpetuity.
The stories of the creativity and innovation displayed by the members
of the Ghost Army during World War II read like something straight out
of a Hollywood blockbuster script. The only thing missing is a
Hollywood ending where the brave members of the Ghost Army are finally
recognized for their lifesaving contributions to defeating the Axis
Powers during World War II. This bill ensures official recognition for
this heroic group of citizen soldiers and their unique contributions to
the war effort.
I thank Mr. Markey and Ms. Kuster, the lead sponsor of the House
version of this bill, for ensuring that the stories of these men of the
Ghost Army receive the recognition they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by
[[Page H235]]
the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 1404.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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