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While crossing through a building, the trio encounter dead soldiers and several who had turned into Runners, who had left the zone to search even the severely damaged downtown for supplies despite the high risk. This is due to the military becoming increasingly desperate to find supplies to keep the QZ from falling apart.<ref>Tess claimed rations must be low</ref> They learn the soldier had encountered Infected but died while awaiting reinforcements. <ref>[[Field Ops Log]]</ref> |
While crossing through a building, the trio encounter dead soldiers and several who had turned into Runners, who had left the zone to search even the severely damaged downtown for supplies despite the high risk. This is due to the military becoming increasingly desperate to find supplies to keep the QZ from falling apart.<ref>Tess claimed rations must be low</ref> They learn the soldier had encountered Infected but died while awaiting reinforcements. <ref>[[Field Ops Log]]</ref> |
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| − | By morning, the military caught up to the trio at the Capitol Building, having earlier killed the Fireflies that they were supposed to rendezvous with. Tess killed two soldiers before dying, while Joel and Ellie evaded the others via fighting past various squads of soldiers before making it to the subway line, |
+ | By morning, the military caught up to the trio at the Capitol Building, having earlier killed the Fireflies that they were supposed to rendezvous with. Tess killed two soldiers before dying, while Joel and Ellie evaded the others via fighting past various squads of soldiers before making it to the subway line, narrowly avoiding being shot at by a [[Humvee]].<ref>[[Capitol]]</ref> |
They are shown to conduct vehicle patrols that go outside the walls to search for anything worth taking. One such patrol was overrun by Infected and crashed into [[Lincoln]] high school. [[Bill]] wanted to steal the battery from a truck, as the military are the only ones who make new batteries any more.<ref>[[Bill's Town]]</ref> This indicates that they have at least some industrial capacity; given how it seems standard policy for smugglers to be captured if possible, it is possible the military uses prisoners as labor to allow troops to focus on their duties. |
They are shown to conduct vehicle patrols that go outside the walls to search for anything worth taking. One such patrol was overrun by Infected and crashed into [[Lincoln]] high school. [[Bill]] wanted to steal the battery from a truck, as the military are the only ones who make new batteries any more.<ref>[[Bill's Town]]</ref> This indicates that they have at least some industrial capacity; given how it seems standard policy for smugglers to be captured if possible, it is possible the military uses prisoners as labor to allow troops to focus on their duties. |
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Revision as of 10:20, 24 January 2017
Military soldiers in 2033.
| “ | Any straggler even looks at me the wrong way, I put his ass down.
―An overheard conversation between two Boston soldiers.
|
” |
The United States Armed Forces, often simply referred to as The Military, appear as an enemy group in The Last of Us. The Military, along with the Federal Disaster Response Agency appear to be the last remnants of the U.S. government after the worldwide outbreak of cordyceps brain infection. They remain in Quarantine Zones to ensure that all uninfected people are kept under watch, and are protected from the plague outside. The Military ensures that nobody leaves the zones to prevent further infection, and often use force to keep people in line.
Infected members of the Military are present in the game, but the player will also encounter enemy soldiers in the first part of the Summer campaign section. Early on, pistol-wielding soldiers without body armor are encountered, but soldiers in body armor and riot helmets will begin to appear more often as time progresses, with assault rifles supplementing their pistols.
History
Events of The Last of Us
Early outbreak
A soldier during the initial outbreak.
During the early outbreak, military forces (likely the National Guard) and local law enforcement attempted to contain the outbreak. As Sarah watches a news report, a soldier in the background orders his men to leave the area due to a gas leak nearby. An explosion interrupts the broadcast before the newscaster can be warned. When Joel, Tommy and Sarah attempt to escape the infection, they witness that the military set up roadblocks along the highways, causing a large traffic jam.
The military also resorted to shooting civilians suspected of infection, including children; in one instance, a soldier is ordered by his commanding officer to execute both Joel and Sarah, and he reluctantly follows through, with only Joel surviving due to Tommy's intervention.[1] As social order began to collapse, the remaining U.S. military forces were deployed into massive quarantine zones. The Air Force carpet-bombed the surrounding areas of some of the quarantine zones, such as the downtown area of Boston, with the objective of killing as many of the infected as possible, while also creating buffer zones.[2] The military and FEDRA are later depicted as working together, possibly as the result of the former seizing control of the latter, or vice versa.
A soldier 20 years into the outbreak.
Late outbreak
In 2033, 20 years later, they currently hold Quarantine Zones in the remains of major cities such as Boston. However, they have abandoned others, such as Hartford,[3] and were defeated by Fireflies and civilian rioters in others, like Pittsburgh; both instances were due to running out of supplies to protect the citizens in the QZs.[4] The military aims to contain all uninfected individuals in these Quarantine Zones, and keep anyone from leaving without permission. There are regular checkpoints throughout these zones where civilians are required to present papers, and there are also random infection checks, with the military killing infected people immediately.[5]
While walking through the Boston QZ, Joel, along with Tess, can overhear residents at the rations center remarking over the continued half rations situation and saying, "I bet those fucking uniforms over there don't get half rations." The military was believed by many civilians to keep supplies for themselves, rather than share equally with the inhabitants they protect.[6] Living within the walls, however, was considered to be a safer life than those living outside of the Quarantine Zone.[7]
A civilian complaining about receiving half rations is warned by another person in line about talking too loudly, due to fear of soldiers hearing them. Despite him not heeding his friend's warning and continuing to talk rather loudly, the soldiers ignore him. This suggests that some soldiers don't bother arresting people for sedition, despite it being a crime according to FEDRA, a sign of growing frustration for all living in the Quarantine Zone.
When Joel and Tess are smuggling Ellie outside of Boston, they are surprised by two soldiers patrolling the outskirts and Joel is quickly subdued by one while another orders Tess and Ellie to put their hands on the heads and kneel down. While the trio is being scanned, Ellie stabs the soldier in the leg after she is found out to be infected. As the soldier knocks her down, Joel tackles him, wrestles his gun away, and kills him; Tess shoots the other before making their escape. After the trio kill the soldiers, Humvees and infantry pour into the area to search for them, but eventually retreat when they lose track of the group. It is implied any "stragglers" found outside the Boston wall are sent back to the QZ and charged, as Joel and Tess were going to be escorted back before Ellie was scanned.[8]
While crossing through a building, the trio encounter dead soldiers and several who had turned into Runners, who had left the zone to search even the severely damaged downtown for supplies despite the high risk. This is due to the military becoming increasingly desperate to find supplies to keep the QZ from falling apart.[9] They learn the soldier had encountered Infected but died while awaiting reinforcements. [10]
By morning, the military caught up to the trio at the Capitol Building, having earlier killed the Fireflies that they were supposed to rendezvous with. Tess killed two soldiers before dying, while Joel and Ellie evaded the others via fighting past various squads of soldiers before making it to the subway line, narrowly avoiding being shot at by a Humvee.[11]
They are shown to conduct vehicle patrols that go outside the walls to search for anything worth taking. One such patrol was overrun by Infected and crashed into Lincoln high school. Bill wanted to steal the battery from a truck, as the military are the only ones who make new batteries any more.[12] This indicates that they have at least some industrial capacity; given how it seems standard policy for smugglers to be captured if possible, it is possible the military uses prisoners as labor to allow troops to focus on their duties.
The military has little tolerance for Fireflies and their sympathizers. They have been known to cause "disappearances" and summarily execute civilians suspected of being Fireflies.
Events of Left Behind
The military has an "infection protocol" in place; with no cure discovered, all personnel that become infected are to be executed immediately. This includes civilians. In notes collected in the Left Behind DLC, Chief Warrant Officer Larry Caulfield was executed by Captain Regan after the former was bitten when their helicopter crashed at the Colorado Mountain Plaza. The pilot, Sean Brendon, was also bitten but died upon impact.[13] Regan later showed regret, writing that she "shot him like a dog" while he begged and tried to tell her that he still had time left.[14] However, when Private Ellis got bit, Regan immediately amputated his right arm, thinking it would prevent the fungus from infecting him. With no recorded precedent of a human ever surviving a bite via amputation, the two wondered whether Regan's actions were right or not. Regan initially thought of abandoning Ellis but later decided to stay with him.[15] Ellis later killed her out of fear that he would be killed when she reached for her gun, and died of his injuries in an air duct after escaping from some Infected.[16] Ellie can find recordings of their predicament left all around the shopping mall.[17]
Equipment
Hand-held gear
The military has changed drastically since the early outbreak. They use flashlight-mounted assault rifles and body armor, but clearly don't have enough to spare for every soldier to use. Thus, many soldiers go without adequate protection, and/or are forced to use 9mm pistols as their primary weapons.[18] Some soldiers even use revolvers, (which had long since fallen out of use by modern armies) likely due to their versatility as well as lack of options.[19]
Their uniforms have changed completely; they now wear blue uniforms (possibly the Operational Dress Uniform). Their old uniforms were likely replaced due to deterioration over the course of 20 years, and the military's limited industrial capacity made it easier for them to produce plain blue uniforms rather than camouflage; possibly since the latter would need to be produced in greater quantities, due to requiring forest, urban, winterized versions and so forth. In addition to their standard uniforms, some soldiers wear ballistic vests and police-style riot helmets. These riot helmets are likely used to protect the face from attacks by hostile survivors and infected, although they are shown to function in the capacity of a combat helmet as well, being capable of saving the wearer from a headshot with a firearm.[20] Handheld scanners have been developed, which allow troops to easily test individuals for infection. They are very accurate, one correctly identifying Ellie as infected within seconds.[21]
A standard military scanner. It scans for traces of infection.
During the initial outbreak, a soldier is seen wearing a uniform with woodland camouflage commonly seen as part of a MOPP Suit worn by soldiers during chemical warfare. Coupled with the gas mask, this implies that the government believed (not incorrectly) that the disease could have been airborne or spread by physical contact, explaining the high amounts of protection.[22]
Types of soldiers
In The Last of Us, there are three types of soldiers that are encountered. One class of soldier is armored and often wields assault rifles more than pistols. They are the soldiers that patrol on top of buildings and guard checkpoints, as well as being the primary troops who conduct operations outside the safety of the wall, such as patrols or supply runs. These appear to be the "regulars" of the military.
Other, non-armored troops are seen to only have blue uniforms and field caps, carrying pistols more than assault rifles. These lightly-equipped soldiers are mostly encountered inside of the Boston wall, so it can be assumed that they are recruits, or some form of city defense force. Although their jobs appear to be centered more on policing than combat, they are encountered in the same squads as heavier troops in some situations.[23]
Another type of soldier is also seen, albeit just once, and is never fought. They carry assault rifles and wear HAZMAT suits, gas masks and oxygen tanks. They deal with environments that are contaminated by spores, such as the condemned apartment building where civilians are hiding during the beginning of the game. Their equipment appears to offer enhanced protection from spores over just having a respirator; their oxygen tanks suggest that they can operate in spore-contaminated zones for longer periods of time than other troops.[24]
Vehicles
The Military still makes use of Humvees, some mounting .50 caliber machine guns or loudspeakers, and a wrecked M35 truck was seen in Lincoln. Strangely, it appeared to be a short-body variant. Several long-abandoned ones were seen scattered across the country, and the Fireflies apparently made use of some at the University of Eastern Colorado.[25] Two burned-out M2 Bradley IFVs were seen in Pittsburgh. Another long-abandoned one was seen in the FEDRA camp in Salt Lake City.[26] It is unknown where they get fuel for these vehicles, but Bill's dialogue would suggest that they scavenge it from abandoned vehicles. Another possibility is that they've figured out how to produce biofuels, or simply still have access to petroleum reserves.
It is interesting to note that no aircraft are seen post-outbreak, although Tess explains after leaving the Boston Quarantine Zone that the military carpet bombed the city around the QZ to create a buffer zone and kill as many of the Infected as possible.[27] A crashed military helicopter, possibly a UH-60 Blackhawk, is seen in |Left Behind, indicating that there are still a handful in use.
Combat
The Military are one of the few groups that still have access to assault rifles, body armor, and Humvees making them a very difficult foe to face despite being fought early in the game. Due to the player lacking powerful guns and ammunition, it is advised not to engage in a firefight with them, as it will result in death. It is better to either stealth kill them or simply sneak past them. However, if faced in smaller or weaker numbers (like in the abandoned railway station underneath the Capitol building and in the Capitol building itself) the player could face them head-on then, since they only use pistols rather than assault rifles.
Joel and Tess managed to overpower the two soldiers who attempted to arrest them after Ellie distracted one. Tess shot one dead while Joel easily tackled and killed the other one, displaying poor training in hand-to-hand combat, despite having better equipment. Alternately, they may not have expected trouble from three seemingly ordinary survivors.
Of the groups shown to face Infected, the military has actually lost a lot of their soldiers despite being the best-trained and equipped faction left. The squad that encountered Infected in downtown Boston were overrun, many becoming infected or being killed.[28] A mounted patrol was also overrun, crashing into Lincoln high school.[29] Even a four man unit lost two men when facing just one Runner.[30] These defeats are likely due to the military rarely encountering Infected, unlike the Cannibals, who face them daily to find supplies.[31] The higher casualties for the Military could also be due to the more dangerous nature of urban combat, especially at night.
Weapons
Notable members
- Ellie (Military preparatory school; formerly)
- Riley (Military preparatory school; formerly; deceased)
- Tino (Military preparatory school)
- Liz (Military preparatory school)
- Jeremy (Missing in action)
- Pam (Missing in action)
- Ramirez (deceased)
- Waters (deceased)
- Private Atwater (deceased)
- Private Coolidge (deceased)
- Private Shah (deceased)
- Private Eugene Ellis (deceased)
- "Corporal Dickhead"[32]
- Sergeant Winston Asher (deceased)
- Warrant Officer Sean Brendon (deceased)
- Chief Warrant Officer Larry Caulfield (deceased)
- Captain Regan Francis (deceased)
- Captain Mastros (deceased)
- Major Banks
- Colonel Mackenzie
- Unnamed General of the Boston Quarantine Zone
Trivia
- If you bump into a guard in the Boston quarantine zone, you will be shoved back and given a warning. Bumping into the same guard twice will make them knock you down and fire a shot into your head.
- The highest-ranking member known is the General of the Boston QZ, who is mentioned in a drafting notice.
- Some soldiers are seen to have radio contact with "Ops", as they refer to it. The purpose of "Ops" appears to be relaying intelligence to soldiers, such as notifying them if any personnel have been killed in the area.
- "CENTCOM" is mentioned on some QZ military signs. "CENTCOM" presumably means "Central Command". In real life, the United States Central Command is a theater-level command that is concerned with the Middle East. In the game, it likely refers to a city-level command.
- Soldiers often refer to other survivors as "stragglers", especially if they live outside the QZ walls.
- It is likely that they are the most powerful (and organized) human faction left in post-CBI America, with the Fireflies being second.
- Boston is guarded by the US Army, evidenced by the word 'ARMY' being visible on soldiers' chest patches. Also, "US Army" is visible on many of the locking devices placed on doors in various areas.
- It can be assumed that remaining police forces in the US were integrated into the military.
- The military also primarily uses police-esque uniforms. (Very similar to the uniforms of the US coast guard, as well as Finnish police)
- The symbol on their right shoulder is very similar to the coat of arms of the Finnish Police, also worn on the shoulder.
- Military helicopters are briefly seen flying by in the prologue of the game.
- Interestingly, the crashed helicopter in Left Behind bears an incorrect paint scheme and markings. Blackhawks that are used for medical evacuation would be painted an overall dark grayish green, with small Red Cross markings on the nose and side doors.
- According to Marlene's diary, there was at least one battalion (300-1000 troops) assigned to Boston. However, the presence of a general officer[33] suggests a larger force. If this commander is a Brigadier General, they likely command a brigade (2,000-4,000 troops). If they are a Major General, there might be an entire division (10,000-15,000 troops).
Gallery
References
- ↑ Hometown
- ↑ Evacuation Leaflet
- ↑ Warning Note
- ↑ Graffiti on checkpoint walls stating they weren't distributing food regularly
- ↑ Soldiers killed two people found positive straight away
- ↑ Hunters rioted against this in Pittsburgh
- ↑ Note to Brother
- ↑ The Outskirts
- ↑ Tess claimed rations must be low
- ↑ Field Ops Log
- ↑ Capitol
- ↑ Bill's Town
- ↑ Salon Note
- ↑ Generator Note
- ↑ Atrium Recorder
- ↑ Duct Recorder
- ↑ Others are Atrium Note and Crew Photo
- ↑ See the appearance of the soldiers
- ↑ several soldiers wielded them
- ↑ Joel shoots several in the head but it merely knocks the helmet off
- ↑ The Quarantine Zone
- ↑ See story
- ↑ Capitol
- ↑ The Quarantine Zone
- ↑ see University
- ↑ Bus Depot
- ↑ Evacuation Leaflet
- ↑ Field Ops Log
- ↑ Bill's Town
- ↑ Salon Note
- ↑ The Enemy of my Enemy
- ↑ Ellie referred to a soldier who confiscated her water guns as this.
- ↑ General of the Boston Q.Z.
