Honoring a Legacy of Deception and Bravery: 102-Year-Old John Smith and the Ghost Army

Quietly, in a far-off part of Woodland, Michigan, a happy event took place – a big family, friends, veterans, and neighbors came to not only honor a life that was lived so wondrously but also a spectacular chapter in American history. There was a talk about 102-year-old John Smith, the US veteran of World War II, and one of the most secret and innovative military units of the war – the “Ghost Army” – whose story of his service still makes people speechless and influences many.

Currently, less than one percent of the World War II veterans are alive. Their voices are getting scarcer as time goes by, and their stories fall into oblivion. However, the residents of Woodland were determined that on this special day John Smith’s story would be passed on without any interruption.

Not just a ceremony, this very event was a beautiful tribute to a man’s whole life. Smith was awarded, as a token of gratitude, a pin, a star cut from a retired American flag, and even red, white, and blue Hershey’s Kisses. To many, these may be small gifts, yet to those who know Smith’s story, each of them was a sign of gratefulness, respect, and deep admiration for a man who worked behind the scenes and yet was so influential toward the results of the WWII victory.

Joanne King, John’s daughter, told his father’s story, in which he was a soldier, a man of many talents. Joanne shared how her father, a man of such bravery, was not only a soldier but also a man of talent. John was a man who played many roles over the decades. During the war, he was a transmitter tester and he repaired radios. Later on, he not only was a carpenter but in the 1980s also designed power circuits. All this time, the cattle farmer and father of seven children remained. “He’s always been a hardworking man,” Joanne said. “Through every job, every phase of life, he’s given his all.”

Heartland Hospice, a group that is well-known for thanking veterans in their last moments, organized the event. One of their volunteer coordinators, Megan Hayden spoke about how crucial it is to express gratitude, even after so much time has gone by. “It’s never too late to say ‘thank you’,” she said. “When a veteran comes in for our care, we are the means to show our respect towards them, we want to make them remember that their service was meaningful, and it still is.”

John Smith’s service was distinguished by the fact that nobody knew about it. Not even his family was aware of the full context of his actions during the war for a number of decades. He belonged to the Ghost Army – a covert unit called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. This was not the typical soldiers’ operation but was rather a group that was able to deceive from a technical standpoint. The members were stagecraft, sound engineers, and communication specialists who were given the task of misleading the enemy in such a way that they believed that they dealt with American troops for one location only, while in reality they were somewhere else.

John told the story of their activities with great enthusiasm, comparing them to a spy thriller. “Our work was mostly at night,” he told. “As darkness came, we commenced. When the day breaks, we are already away.” They used inflatable tanks, fake radio messages, and cleverly defined sonic battlefield effects to produce the image of the numerous armies that weren’t there. These ruses were instrumental in the diversion of enemy attention from the actual positions and thus saved many lives.

For a long time, the missions of the Ghost Army were kept secret. The unit’s existence was only known to a few, even after the war was over. The public got aware that this unit was in existence only by reading a Smithsonian article of 1985 and then the official declassification in the ’90s. Finally, in 2022, they were granted the highest national award Congressional Gold Medal as a tribute to their extraordinary contribution made through cleverness rather than power, to the cause of defeating Nazi Germany.

The stories that John Smith shared at the event have deeply resonated with all the attendees. Veteran of Barry County Deputy Jon Rocha, who experienced the moments of the war himself, talked passionately. “It is powerful,” he said. “To be facing someone who was the part of the history that are in a peculiar way, who has the chance to share such a lifespan that is what will not meet very often our way.” Rocha put the stress on the emotional bond that he established despite the gap in age by generations. “We’ve both served. We’ve seen things. That connection it’s something that never goes away.”

John, the one who never liked the spotlight, did not expect such an outburst of love and affection. “I never thought people would go through all this trouble,” he said quietly, moved by the gesture.

The celebration was more than just a local event; it served as a warning. A reminder that history is not only about facts written in the textbooks or depicted in documentaries. It is also about people like John Smith, who will be remembered by what they accomplished and the lives they affected long after the battles ceased.

With the count of living WWII veterans being on a dwindling slope, opportunities to talk to them are now rare. Therefore, it is very essential to be telling their stories while we still can. In honoring John Smith, we don’t just pay tribute to his service – we preserve a vital piece of American history.

John’s life, his humility, and his service in the Ghost Army represent courage in its quietest form. His story reminds us that not all heroes carry guns some carry inflatable tanks, hidden radios, and the weight of secrets that shaped the world.

A mere mention of the formalities are not required when we want to honor such a legacy. Today, we have to identify them, listen to their stories, and make sure the memories of these heroes are passed on to posterity so that they will always be in the hearts of the next generation who only remember the quiet fighters who got freedom by coming up with ways, courageous deeds, and silence.