In 1943 Therese Ricard took a job working at the U.S. Rubber Company in their annex building located on the corner of Social and Worrall streets in Woonsocket. Therese was 16 years old when she started work in the mill. She worked the student shift, after school from 3pm-7pm. Her job was to paste and cement big rubber tubes that would be folded in different ways in order that the would fit inside the decoy rubber tank turrets. These rubber tanks were called "Targets" and were painted in such a way so they looked as if they had a shadow. Other decoys were made at Woonsocket Rubber including jeeps and canon.
These decoys are known as the Ghost Army. This Ghost Army was top secret and involved the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. This troop was formed with its mission to deceive the Germans in battles fought across Europe. More than 20 battlefield deceptions were staged from Normandy to the Rhine between D-Day and the end of the war. These decoys fooled the Germans into thinking there were more troops and equipment than actually existed. perhaps the best deception pulled off was tricking the Germans into believing that the allies had an army under General Patton which they believed was going to invade France at Pas de Calais and not Normandy. This program was top secret and details of this operation were only declassified in recent years.