During World War II, the U.S. Army deployed a special unit to help defeat Nazi Germany. Col. Harry Reeder’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as the “Ghost Army,” made up of artists and technicians, fooled the Germans into thinking the American Army was strong where it was weak. The top-secret unit employed inflatable tanks, fake radio communications and decoy unit markings to keep the enemy guessing.
On March 21, 2024, three of the last surviving Ghost Army Soldiers received the Congressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol. Secretary of the Army, Hon. Christine Wormuth, said of the unit, “The actions of the Ghost Army helped change the course of the war for thousands of American and Allied troops and contributed to the liberation of a continent from a terrible evil.”
In August of 1944, the Ghost Army used inflatable tanks to trick the Germans from concentrating on the infantry and tanks of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army during its sweep across France and race to Brittany’s port cities. During the siege of Metz, from September to November 1944, Ghost Army Soldiers wore 6th Armored Division patches. They labeled their vehicles with the division’s unit markings, even though the 6th Armored tankers were elsewhere. They later did the same for other divisions.
During the Battle of the Bulge, when Patton’s 4th Armored and 80th Infantry Divisions spearheaded the attack into the besieged Belgian town of Bastogne, Ghost Army Soldiers set up fake radio transmissions to make the Germans believe the units were heading west into reserve instead of attacking north.
The Ghost Army impacted the war much larger than its small size. Along with Col. Harry Reeder (Section 6), at least ten other Ghost Army Soldiers are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. They include Lt. Col. John Raymond Comulada (Court 9, Section N05), Col. Frederick Day (Section 30), Tec5 Eric Fundin (Section 43), Tec4 Santino “Sandy” Governale (Court 2, Section GG), Tec5 Charles V. John (Section 7), Tec5 George Martin (Court 8, Section TT), Maj. Gen. George Rebh (Section 35), Lt. Col. Boyd Reeder (Section 6), Tec5 Al Severe (Section 69) and Col. Clifford Simenson (Section 66).
We honor their service.