Wilbur Wright Bagby served as an officer in a secret World War II military unit known as the Ghost Army, who engaged in psychological warfare in Europe to distract and fool the German Army.
Only 1,100 men served in this unit, which included the 603rd Camouflage Engineer Battalion, but it's estimated that their efforts to attract the attention of hostile German forces away from American soldiers--with fake tanks and even fake airfields--may have saved as many as 30,000 lives.
On March 21, 2024 Wilbur's son Mike Bagby attended a ceremony in Washington, D.C where he--along with only three (3) survivors of the Ghost Army who were all 100 years old-- were awarded Congressional Gold Medals.
The Ghost Army had been so secretive that even by 1992, when Wilbur Bagby died, the unit's activities were still not declassified and publicly known.
Wilbur's son Mike said, "He took it to the grave with him, He just didn't want to talk about it.
The way I found out about it was I hired a guy to research his history while he was in the war, just to get a timeline. And the researcher said, 'Wow. Your dad was in the Ghost Army, huh?' I said, 'Really?' I had no idea."
After the war, Wilbur Bagby worked as a structural and mechanical engineer, mostly in the coal industry.
Wilbur's twin brother was Orville Wright Bagby, whose Draft Registration records his birthplace as Whitney, North Carolina.
Wilbur Wright Bagby served as an officer in a secret World War II military unit known as the Ghost Army, who engaged in psychological warfare in Europe to distract and fool the German Army.
Only 1,100 men served in this unit, which included the 603rd Camouflage Engineer Battalion, but it's estimated that their efforts to attract the attention of hostile German forces away from American soldiers--with fake tanks and even fake airfields--may have saved as many as 30,000 lives.
On March 21, 2024 Wilbur's son Mike Bagby attended a ceremony in Washington, D.C where he--along with only three (3) survivors of the Ghost Army who were all 100 years old-- were awarded Congressional Gold Medals.
The Ghost Army had been so secretive that even by 1992, when Wilbur Bagby died, the unit's activities were still not declassified and publicly known.
Wilbur's son Mike said, "He took it to the grave with him, He just didn't want to talk about it.
The way I found out about it was I hired a guy to research his history while he was in the war, just to get a timeline. And the researcher said, 'Wow. Your dad was in the Ghost Army, huh?' I said, 'Really?' I had no idea."
After the war, Wilbur Bagby worked as a structural and mechanical engineer, mostly in the coal industry.
Wilbur's twin brother was Orville Wright Bagby, whose Draft Registration records his birthplace as Whitney, North Carolina.
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