Ghost Army in the News

Private John J. Williams had a secret. For at least fifty-two years, the World War II Army radio man was sworn to secrecy, unable to add specific details to his account of being among the 156,000 Allied forces who stormed the beach at Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944.

John J. Williams was posthumously honored March 21 in Washington, D.C., during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony at the U.S. Capitol that honored all 82 officers and 1,023 enlisted soldiers in the Ghost Army. His grandson and son — Columbia gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Williams and retired Columbia veterinarian Dr. John S. Williams — accepted the posthumous medal, fourteen years after John J. Williams’ death.