World War II Ghost Army hero Bluestein dies at 102

Bernie Bluestein, a member of the legendary Ghost Army during World War II and later a fixture on Harper College’s art scene, died Wednesday at age 102 in hospice in Wheeling, his son Keith said.

The Ghost Army was dubbed a “traveling road show of deception.” The unit’s mission was to fool the enemy about the strength and location of Allied troops.

Their weapons were unconventional — inflatable tanks, sound effects and radio trickery. Members even mingled with local populations to help spread misinformation.

The unit was home to men trained in the creative arts such as Bluestein, an aspiring industrial designer attending the Cleveland Institute of Art when he joined the war effort. During his service, he was part of a team creating fake patches, signs and vehicle stencils.

His unit staged more than 20 operations, working perilously close to the front in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Their tactics were designed to make a group of 1,100 troops appear to be a fighting force of more than 20,000.

Bluestein settled in the Chicago suburbs after the war, working as an industrial designer and maintaining silence about his wartime experience until after 1996, when the mission was declassified.

His contributions to the Allies’ victory garnered him much attention and honor late in his life. He and other Ghost Army veterans received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Last year, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi spearheaded an effort to name the Palatine post office at 1300 E. Northwest Highway after Bluestein. In addition, he was grand marshal of Hoffman Estates’ July 4 parade.

During his postwar life, he also opened a new chapter, creating art and taking classes at Harper College.

Harper College art and design Professor Jason Peot said Bluestein took classes in the department for nearly four decades. The college would celebrate him on Veterans Day and he was given an honorary degree. The campus also includes a bust of him sporting his customary beard and wearing his white hat.

“He was extremely skilled, because in his working life, he was an industrial designer,” said Peot, led sculpture classes Bluestein attended for the past two decades. “I think he latched onto sculpture, because he just really loved making things and had the craftsmanship to do it.”

Keith Bluestein said his father’s health had been failing in recent months. He had moved from Brookdale in Hoffman Estates to Bella Terra in Wheeling.

“He had the strongest will to live,” he said. “His personality and his inner strength were incredible.”

Besides Keith, Bluestein is also survived by a daughter, Aleyce Lacy.