99-year-old Ghost Army veteran honored and praised at ceremony, Pres. Biden sends letter
DOVER, Del. – It’s been 77 years since World War II ended, a devastating war in which thousands gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend the U.S. However, a small but impactful part of that war was the Ghost Army, and a 99-year-old Delaware man, James *Tom* Anderson, was a part of it.
“Amazingly, there are still people who are here to tell their stories,” says Rick Beyer, President of the Ghost Army Legacy Project.
The Ghost Army was a group of deception troops who used inflatable tanks and sound effects to fool the Germans on the battlefield, 22 different times. The Ghost Army Legacy Project is an organization dedicated to telling its story.
“I ran the bulldozer to make the tracks for the tanks Like tanks were moving, they were rubber tanks, we had rubber tanks, rubber people, everything like that,” says Anderson. Beyer adds, “It reminds us that creativity is not something is reserved for kind of recreation or entertainment but that it can save lives.”
That’s why on Thursday the organization and state leaders held a ceremony to honor one of the 9 surviving members of the Ghost Army, the 99-year-old Anderson. Anderson tells 47 ABC, that his time in the army is a memory he’ll never forget.
“On the beach that second day of the invasion everything was nothing but fire, bullets going everywhere and I figured my next step was going to be the last one,” says Anderson. He adds, “You could almost say I’m not going back home.”
However, over 70 years later Anderson and others are sharing their story which was enough to catch the attention of President Joe Biden.
“That’s pretty cool to get a letter from the president of the United States,” says Senator Trey Paradee. He adds, “We would not enjoy the lives we do today if it wasn’t for men like Tommy who stepped up to serve the country during the darkest periods in the history of humankind.”
Beyer also tells us that the Ghost Army itself gathered people from 46 different states of all different backgrounds to make the Ghost Army happen, and kept it a secret for almost 50 years. So he says his work to share their untold story is truly a labor of love.
“This has become sort of a quest over the years to make sure these men and what they did is remembered forever.”
Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long also stopped by the ceremony to honor Anderson as well as Major General Michael Berry, the leader of the Delaware National Guard.
To find out more about the Ghost Army, you can click here.
