Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is a British special forces operator, and a prominent member of Task Force 141, known for his iconic skull-patterned balaclava and headset. Ghost appears as a main character in the video game Call of Duty. Simon Riley had a very traumatic childhood while growing up in Manchester, England because of his heartless father. Simon used to be an apprentice butcher at a grocery but joined the military after the September 11 attacks occurred.