Congressional Gold Medal recipient Bluestein to marshal Hoffman Estates’ July 4th Parade

Two months after receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in Washington, D.C., 100-year-old Hoffman Estates resident Bernie Bluestein has been named honorary marshal of his village’s Fourth of July Parade this year.

“He was the obvious selection,” Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod said of the offer that was made and accepted last week.

Though receiving much recognition in recent years for his role in the “Ghost Army” that baffled Nazi forces in Europe during World War II, Bluestein’s accomplishments remained a military secret for more than half a century after the conflict’s end.

Using inflatable tanks, sound effects, radio trickery and the ears of local residents to help spread misinformation during the war, the Ghost Army is credited with saving the lives of about 30,000 Allied soldiers. The unit’s mission was to fool the Germans about the strength and location of their enemy’s troops.

The Ghost Army included men previously in the creative arts, like Bluestein, who was attending the Cleveland Institute of Art with the goal of becoming an industrial designer. He became part of a team that created fake patches, signs and vehicle stencils for the Ghost Army.