In less than two months, the 80th anniversary of D-Day — the Allied assault on the German-held coast of France during World War II — will be upon us. While most of the veterans involved in that monumental assault are no longer with us, stories keep coming to the fore by dint of sons and daughters who remember their father’s role in the battle, or through its anniversary each year.
A case of the former presented itself recently when Ellijay Times-Courier Publisher Andy Ashurst emailed a story idea that was “right up my alley” since he knows a choice topic for me is writing about veterans. However, when Janice Blanchard contacted Andy last month about her father’s role in the war and an interesting ceremony, it wasn’t specifically about D-Day. But it is related; allow me to explain.
Many of us who like to research and read about World War II know that a great deception was carried out by the Allies prior to the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. For instance, inflatable Army tanks and dummy landing craft were staged at Pas de Calais some 150 miles north of the actual landing site. Blanchard’s father, Jack Stanley, landed in Normandy on D-Day plus one (June 7) and was probably also involved in the deception.
And that’s not all. Stanley’s unit, written about in a feature article, was known as the “Ghost Army.” Its sole purpose was to deceive the Germans by disinformation through fake radio messages, sound effects, disguising equipment and even going into bars acting drunk and spilling phony stories about missions and movements. The Allies figured the Germans had spies in many quarters.
Even the existence of the Ghost Army was kept under wraps until its work was declassified in the 1990s. After that, more “ghost soldiers” were willing to talk about their activities; before then, they were sworn to secrecy about the unit’s very existence. Then last month, the Ghost Army received a Congressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol, and family members received a facsimile. Amazingly, three members of the unit — two centenarians and a 99-year-old — were in attendance to receive their medals in person.
In his 1998 book, “The Greatest Generation,” Tom Brokaw described the work ethic and “rigorous schedule pursued by so many World War II veterans.”
“In the service they had learned the importance of identifying an objective and pursuing it until the mission was accomplished,” he wrote, noting this became their civilian work ethic as well. “Also, they felt they had to make up for lost time. These were children of the Depression, with fresh memories of deprivation, and the postwar years were abundant with opportunities …”
As for Jack Stanley, he attended Emory University in his native Atlanta on the GI Bill (also in its 80th year in 2024). With his flair for learning foreign languages, he traveled to Mexico with a classmate from that country and even played in a mariachi band with his friend, Janice told me.
“While he was away, his parents rented out his room to my mother (Bea), who worked at Rich’s (department store) downtown after attending the University of Georgia,” she continued. “They loved to tell the story that he had to marry my mother to get his room back!”
Jack Stanley began selling hospital supplies by day, and pots and pans at parties by night. Three children in all were born, and there were career moves up and down the East Coast when their father worked for a national tire company. He was also an avid collector of World War II memorabilia.
“My parents supplemented their income by setting up at military or gun shows where he bought, sold and traded relics,” Janice detailed. “My mother was known as the jewelry lady and was popular with many who attended. Sometimes they would travel to 3-4 shows in a month. I used to call them gypsies.”
Retirement for Jack and Bea was initially on Lake Oconee, then Janice and her husband Bill moved to Ellijay with her late mother two years ago. Janice told me her father loved to hunt and fish in the mountains, and wouldn’t it have been interesting to hear some of those outdoor tales? I would imagine he could share some indelible experiences about the Ghost Army as well.
So many stories, so little time.
Mark Millican is a former staff writer for the Dalton Daily Citizen.