Ghost Army honored with gold medal, but who were they?
It could have been a scene from a Hollywood movie. The set looked real. The actors played their parts perfectly. They had everyone fooled.
Instead, the scene was set behind enemy lines in France and later Germany during 1944 and 1945. They may have been actors, but they also were soldiers risking their lives in an attempt to lure Nazi troops away from advancing U.S. forces.
Very few outside the unit knew about the work done by the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops during World War II because the project was a highly guarded and effective tool of warfare.
The soldiers in the 23rd, also known as the Ghost Army were sworn to secrecy in case the Army planned to use the tactic in future wars. Not even their families knew what they did.
Fifty years later, the top-secret missions were declassified and documents pertaining to the 23rds actions released, leaving soldiers free to talk about one of the Army's most successful missions. It took another 25 years before their work was recognized by Congress.
https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2022/03/13/mississippi-louisiana-ghost-army-members-remembered-after-gold-medal/9409650002
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I never heard of these guys until today, but what a great story!