Oversight Committee Advances Congressman Krishnamoorthi Bill to Rename Palatine Post Office for World War II ‘Ghost Army’ Hero Bernie Bluestein

WASHINGTON – This afternoon, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted to pass Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (D-IL) legislation to rename the Post Office at 1300 East Northwest Highway in Palatine as the Bernie Bluestein Post Office Building. The committee’s passage sets up a full vote by the full House in the coming weeks.

“I’m grateful the Oversight Committee advanced my bipartisan bill honoring Bernie Bluestein, and I urge the full House to bring it to a vote quickly,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “The Ghost Army helped misdirect enemy forces, protect American troops, secure key Allied victories, and free Europe from the grip of fascism. Renaming the Palatine Post Office in Mr. Bluestein’s honor ensures our community recognizes a hero who embodies the very best of the Greatest Generation, Illinois, and our nation.”

Bernard “Bernie” Bluestein is one of only a handful of surviving members of the U.S. Army’s top-secret Ghost Army, a World War II deception unit that used inflatable tanks, fake insignia, dummy convoys, and sonic operations to mislead German forces and save American lives. Serving in the 603rd Camouflage Engineer Battalion, he created false unit markings, contributed to visual ruses impersonating entire divisions, and took part in missions that stretched German defenses across France and aided the Allied push toward the Rhine. His service, kept classified for more than 50 years, was recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024.

The full bill is available here, and Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s remarks are available here.