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The Military were on the frontline of this whole thing. They were overrun; we've all seen that!
Rick Grimes noting the state of the military.[src]

The U.S. military, known collectively as the United States Armed Forces, were the combined military forces of the United States. It was made up of five armed service branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Each branch of the military had a unique approach towards protecting America's interests and ensuring global peace. It is informally referred to as the "Military" within the fictional realms of the The Walking Dead universe.

According to many survivors in both the television and the comic series, the Military attempted to contain the outbreak, but were ultimately overrun by the sheer numbers of the undead. As such, many scattered outposts, vehicles, and equipment remain behind as many of its members have either fallen victim to the hordes of walkers or have retreated elsewhere.

In Fear the Walking Dead, the California Army National Guard was last reported to be active in Edwards Air Force Base, but the fate of the rest of the military in the television universe remains unknown. The U.S. Navy submarine USS Pennsylvania eventually washed up on the shores of Galveston, Texas after an outbreak onboard, caused by a sailor, Friedman, dying of appendicitis, killed the majority of his crew.

In the comics, the military still exists in some fashion, but has yet to be encountered by any character.[1]

Military

Californian National Guardsmen in Fear the Walking Dead, "Cobalt" (S1E05).

"Wildfire" Pandemic[]

Firebomb

Atlanta, Georgia being firebombed by the Military under the contigency plan on September 9, 2010

During the onset of the outbreak, as local law enforcement was being overwhelmed, an apparent executive order was made to declare a state of emergency. As it most likely became evident that FEMA could no longer handle things on its own, the U.S. military responded and assisted. The Military's initial strategy was to evacuate and protect as many civilians as possible. Ferrying them to designated safe zones or large cities where aid stations and refugee centers were located at.[2] However, this proved less feasible when the cities began to collapse due to the ever increasing number of the undead. As this happened, many people fled in large numbers, effectively jamming any or all roads leading in or out of the cities, and trapping many helpless victims within.[3] This created chaos and the Military were authorized to use deadly force to regain control of the situation. This resulted in major cities and roads being bombed or destroyed by jets and helicopters and soldiers firing on unarmed civilians, whether they were infected or not,[4] or were in the process of looting.[5] Before civilization collapsed, the CDC had come up with the name "Wildfire" to describe the walker pandemic since the infection spread uncontrollably like a wild fire. The military most likely adopted this name soon after.[6]

With military and emergency personnel severely overstretched and suffering from increasing casualty and desertion rates, a decision was taken to no longer try and maintain order throughout urban areas, and instead focus the efforts on protecting designated safe zones in easy to secure parts of the cities. These safe zones were policed under martial law and anyone caught breaking military rules was arrested and sent to detention centers.[7]

After the end of Operation Cobalt, the US Military disintegrated on October 2010 after 225 years of activity.

Operation Cobalt[]

With the epidemic spreading and command and control beginning to falter, a decision was taken somewhere up the chain of command to abandon the safe zones and withdraw the military from the cities and back to the safety of their bases. Soldiers were instructed to withdraw from the safe zones in an orderly fashion during the night so as not to spook civilians. The operation also included an order for the "humane termination" of individuals in quarantined areas. After this occurred, it's unclear what exactly happened at these military based but, based off what we see of certain military bases in the series, they've likely been overrun.

The second stage of the operation was large scale napalm bombing of major cities to wipe out zombies that had infested urban areas. Cities known to have been bombed include:

Military Bases, Outposts, Installations and Areas of Operation[]

Military hospital 2

Rick Grimes stumbles across an abandoned military outpost. Here he is seen next to a Bell UH-1 Iroquois from the United States 7th Cavalry.

Military checkpoints and outposts, such as the one seen in King County, Georgia,[8] were established to maintain their overall presence and to manage the civilian population. However, these were eventually abandoned, whether on orders or out of necessity, or were completely overrun by walkers.[9] After the collapse of society, it is unknown if certain branches of the Military are still operational or have been reduced to small pockets of resistance. According to Lieutenant Welles, his small band of military survivors managed to fortify their previously established outpost for an extended period of time before having to leave the encampment when their perimeter was breached by walkers.[10] This would imply that many other areas such as this are still active to some degree. However, this is not known for sure. Even if some military outposts are still functional, their influence on the outside world appears to be minimal, as massive areas remain unpoliced.

Comic Series[]

Atlanta, Georgia[]

As the outbreak worsened across the country, with the local safe zones overrun and the local government thrown into a state of anarchy, the federal government devised a simple plan to herd civilians from surrounding towns and areas into large cities, like Atlanta and presumably other large cities across the East and West Coasts in order to keep the survivors in one centralized place to protect. As Morgan stated in the first issue, the government broadcasted over the radio and other available media outlets for survivors to head towards the cities for protection, with efforts to protect the population primarily headed by the U.S. Military, or simply referred to as 'the Army' by Dale, although this might have been a mix-up for the National Guard (according to Otis and Brian Blake, it was the National Guard). Regardless of which branch of the military was actually in charge of protecting the cities, military units were deployed into Atlanta and other cities to protect the ever-increasing amount of refugees pouring in from smaller population points. However, as stated by Glenn, all this did was put all the food in one place, which attracted large swaths of walkers to the city. Within a week the entire city had been overrun, and while the military was still trying to fight off the walkers, all routes to and from the city were blockaded; this prevented straggling refugees, such as Dale, Amy, Lori, Shane, Carl, and Andrea from entering the city, probably saving their lives. Atlanta has now been left abandoned and overrun, with large hordes of walkers roaming the streets and no noticeable survivor groups. Some military equipment and personnel can be seen, such as the zombified corpses of soldiers and an abandoned Abrams tank.

National Guard Armory near Woodbury, Georgia[]

The Governor mentioned that many of the soldiers at the installation deserted in order to be with their friends and families. A few of the Woodbury survivors were soldiers themselves and the town continued to use the base to occasionally retrieve weapons and ammunition and gasoline. The Prison survivors looted the remaining weapons for their upcoming battle with the Woodbury Army and commandeered a troop transport before setting the fuel depot ablaze to prevent the residents of Woodbury from using any of the remaining supplies against them.

TV Series[]

King County, Georgia[]

Military hospital

The abandoned military outpost at the hospital

The U.S. Army, notably the 1st Cavalry Division, had set up a makeshift base near the hospital in King County, Georgia. They assisted with the evacuation of civilians as FEMA and various medical staff worked to quarantine the infected. During the later stages of the outbreak, the infected individuals were everywhere, and despite the military's efforts to halt the infestation, they ultimately ended up pulling out and abandoning the outpost.

Military execution

Soldiers shortly after executing infected civilians

It seems as though they were initially successful in managing to contain the amount of walkers in the area, as numerous bodies wrapped in sheets are seen within the loading dock of the hospital. Nevertheless, the Army lost a significant number of soldiers due to the high amount of the undead. Before the Military pulled out, many who were infected, or came into close proximity of them, were indiscriminately executed within the hallways of the hospital as witnessed by Shane, who attempted to carry an unconscious Rick to safety.

Atlanta, Georgia[]

Military checkpoint in Atlanta

A Military checkpoint in Atlanta

Under the government's pretense to defend the major cities, the military had focused most of its efforts in the state of Georgia to keep the city of Atlanta free of infected and safe for refugees and residents to take shelter in. Garrisons of heavily-armed troops were stationed among numerous checkpoints and barricades throughout the streets of Atlanta, and helicopters, both civilian and military, flew in evacuees from the surrounding area and from small, nearby towns. Multiple aid stations were set up, as well as a refugee center equipped with quarantine measures. As planned, the military formed a defensive line around the city but was quickly overwhelmed by the large numbers of infected who were attracted towards the city. After the defensive line was overrun, the military began to set up safe areas for evacuation but quickly abandoned the plan, instead panicking and retreating back to various military bases. Overall, the military's attempt to establish a safe zone proved faulty at best as the large amount of people in one place increased the likelihood of the infection spreading violently, and large swathes of walkers, learning of the large amounts of food in the city, were attracted towards it. Within a period of weeks, Atlanta had been overrun by large hordes of walkers, and in a last-ditch effort to stop the spread of the virus, the military resorted to the nationally-implemented "Operation Cobalt" and firebombed certain areas of the city with high concentrations of walkers.

When Rick Grimes rides into Atlanta during the events of "Days Gone Bye", he passes through a military checkpoint at an intersection. When he is swarmed by a horde of Walkers, he finds shelter in an abandoned army tank (The tank is a repainted British FV4201 Chieftain) . Inside he finds a seemingly dead tank crewman. Rick takes the tanker's M9 Beretta pistol, but then realized that the soldier is a walker. Rick quickly shoots the tanker in the head, and the blast in such a small area disorients him. Upon discovering that the commander's hatch is open, Rick goes to the hatch and closes it, but not before realizing that his bag of guns is surrounded by walkers and that walkers are climbing on top of the tank. He is later saved by Glenn Rhee, who guides him out via radio in "Guts".

In The Ones Who Live, Donald Okafor reveals that he was one of the pilots who bombed Atlanta and that Marines were sent in afterwards to "liquidate" anyone who had survived the bombings. Rick also recalls to Major General Beale that he had witnessed that Atlanta had been napalmed by the military.

Los Angeles, California[]

As the epidemic continued to spread and the Los Angeles Police Department proved unable to cope with the increasing violence on the streets, the Governor of California issued a State Executive Order announcing a state of emergency and began to deploy the National Guard to the worst afflicted areas. Realizing it would be impracticable to save everyone, the Guard abandoned most of the city and concentrated their resources on easy-to-defend areas, setting up twelve secure, fenced-off safe zones where they could provide basic services and protect the remaining population, while also setting up designated military facilities like the military hospital at Raynard Community College. The people who refused to be evacuated to the safe zones either made their own way out of the city, were killed by infected, or were executed by the Guard due to their potential exposure to the virus. Despite the military's attempts to prevent themselves from being stretched thin with this limited presence strategy, the military found themselves in an increasingly precarious position as the number of infected grew and manpower dwindled (either through desertions, deaths or infection), leading to the military initiating Operation Cobalt and evacuating all personnel from the city. After the initial evacuation phase of Operation Cobalt, the city, along with the entire California coastline was later firebombed by the military. The Coast Guard later broadcasted a message stating that they could no longer provide assistance via air, sea or land. It is unknown whether this was due to desertions, loss of personnel to the infection, loss of equipment or a combination of all three.

In The Ones Who Live, Donald Okafor reveals that he was one of the pilots who bombed Los Angeles and that Marines were sent in afterwards to "liquidate" anyone who had survived the bombings.

Losangelesfire

L.A. is firebombed by the military

Californianationalguard

The California National Guard in one of the suburbs that served as a safe zone in L.A.

National guard

National Guard troops storming a library during the outbreak in Los Angeles

Western Seaboard[]

George Geary mentions that the military have bombed several major cities along the western seaboard of the United States, including Portland and Seattle. Thus, it can be assumed that what happened in Los Angeles happened in these cities as well.

Centers for Disease Control - Zone 5[]

Military cdc 2

The overrun military checkpoint at the CDC

Among the facilities closely guarded by the military is the CDC building within Zone in urban Atlanta. According to Dr. Edwin Jenner, the military cordon was overrun shortly after Atlanta fell. Afterwards, the facility's few remaining staff members committed suicide, fell victim to the infection, or fled to be with their families. Being the only research scientist left, Dr. Jenner was forcibly committed to finding a cure. However, his endeavor was short lived after a mistake in containment protocol destroyed one of the last remaining necrotic flesh samples from Test Subject 19, effectively destroying weeks of amounted work. During his research, he kept a series of video logs in hopes that someone important might be listening, but promptly gave up after his results to find a cure failed.

Shortly thereafter, Rick and his group arrived to seek shelter from the outside. Dr. Jenner reluctantly let them in and offered them the facility's limited commodities in exchange for blood tests and human company. During their time there, Dr. Jenner attempted to explain what he knew about the disease, even showing a recorded video session of his latest test subject, later revealed to be his wife, and the effects the infection had with the human brain. The facility eventually self-destructed after the building's generators ran out of diesel fuel, taking Dr. Jenner and survivor Jacqui with it, and Rick's group narrowly escaping the building's destruction.

Fort Benning[]

The U.S. Army base was over 120 miles from the outskirts of Atlanta, and was described by Shane as "safe and heavily fortified" along with food, supplies, and protection since it was relatively isolated from civilization and away from the hot zone. After the trip to the CDC, the group came to the conclusion that Fort Benning was their next best option for survival. In Season 2, it was revealed by Dave to Glenn, Rick, and Hershel that Fort Benning had been overrun. In Season 4, it is hinted that US Army personnel, or at least some of them, deserted their posts and left the base, including brothers Mitch and Pete Dolgen, though the actual fate of Fort Benning has not been confirmed.

Cranwall High School[]

High School

The FEMA aid center overrun with walkers.

A high school near the Greene family farm was converted to an aid station by FEMA, most likely in response to the nearby hospital going up in flames some months ago. A trailer acting as a storage unit contained much needed supplies for Hershel Greene's impromptu surgery on Carl Grimes after he sustained a bullet wound to the chest. Shane Walsh and Hershel's farm hand Otis were tasked to retrieve the medical equipment, including respirators and anesthetics, in order for Carl to survive the operation. Some U.S. Army soldiers, specifically that from the 82nd Airborne Division, were stationed to protect the school grounds from the wandering dead. When Shane and Otis arrived, it is clear that the defense did not last long as many, if not all, of the soldiers succumbed to the army of walkers.

Unnamed Refugee Center[]

Military camp

One of the M35 trucks

A small refugee camp protected by members of the Army National Guard was said to have been overrun shortly after the start of Season 3. As the camp was overrun, a group of Army National Guardsmen were forced to abandon the camp as panic took hold of its inhabitants and mass chaos ensued. The group escaped with two M35 trucks laden with food, equipment, and supplies, one Humvee, and a flatbed truck, with a UH-1 "Huey" helicopter in tow. After no more than a few days of driving, the convoy encountered a roadblock of vehicles on a highway and diverted off road. The helicopter was then unstrapped in order to fly ahead and scout the countryside for any signs of activity. After encountering mechanical failure, the Huey helicopter crashed into the forest near the fortified community of Woodbury. The only survivor out of its three occupants, its lone pilot, Lieutenant Welles, was taken to Woodbury. While being treated there he, without knowing the Governor's true intentions, informed him where the convoy was located. Being promised that his men will be led back to Woodbury for safety.

Military camp 3

Members of the convoy shortly before their massacre

The Governor later traveled to the convoy's location where he informed one of the soldiers in command, Brady, that Welles was at Woodbury, alive and well. Shortly after doing so, the Governor shot corporal, and the other Army National Guardsmen were gunned down by the Governor's men from the surrounding field and nearby tree line. All of the Army National Guardsmen's supplies were then looted by the Governor's men, and taken back to Woodbury, where he himself deceived everyone at Woodbury into thinking that the undead overran the convoy before they arrived. Shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Welles was quietly murdered and his head was kept as a trophy of sorts inside an aquarium along with other severed heads of the Governor's victims.[11] The Governor would later return to this campsite after slaughtering his own army, where he was then abandoned by his last remaining soldiers Martinez and Shumpert.

While unconfirmed, their helicopter may be the same one spotted by Rick in "Days Gone Bye" while in Atlanta and the one that drew the herd out of Atlanta in a flashback in "Beside the Dying Fire."

Big Spot Supermarket[]

Big Spot crash

The crashed CH-47 Chinook surrounded by walkers atop the supermarket

Near the West Georgia Correctional Facility, a contingent of U.S. Marines had set up a fortified encampment right outside the Big Spot supermarket for civilians to take shelter in. It was later overrun or abandoned, and a Boeing CH-47 Chinook, is seen wrecked on the roof of the building with its former passengers now walkers. Later on, several members of the prison attempted to raid the store for food and supplies, but walkers fell in through the badly decayed roof, and eventually the helicopter itself, destroying a large portion of the store and forcing the group to leave with very little supplies in hand. Considering no undead marines are actually seen, it can be assumed that the outpost was quickly ditched by the forces on the ground and the helicopter crew and passengers were the only casualties.

Unnamed Military Camp[]

This outpost was set up near the Mexico-United States Border by the U.S. military and served as a refugee camp for survivors. At some point, a number of soldiers stationed at the camp died and reanimated, and the camp was seemingly abandoned given the large amount of supplies and equipment left behind. Survivors Sierra and Gabi met at this camp before joining each other and departed towards the border.

Chilton High School[]

In "Say Yes", Rick and Michonne find an abandoned high school that was seemingly used as a safe-zone with a pre-outbreak carnival in the backyard. The school itself was filled with MRE's. Many undead soldiers and civilians seen there as well. The duo decide to go into the carnival area in order to get weapons from there and this kill every walker in sight. It was presumed that the location was either overrun by a herd or another human group with signs of a battle. However, if it was humans, they likely died as well as all of the heavy weapons had been left behind instead of the victors collecting them.

Alexandria Safe-Zone[]

The upscale planned community was a safe-zone established by the military in the early days of the outbreak, containing a handful of supplies for a large group of people. Ohio Congresswoman Deanna Monroe and her family were attempting to evacuate D.C. and return to Ohio to help handle the crisis in her state. While doing so, they were directed by the military to the neighborhood, among other survivors from D.C., and ordered to wait for their return, which never occurred.

The evacuees used the supplies for their survival, including construction materials from a shopping mall nearby, which were used to build the wall. New survivors joined the community shortly thereafter. Deanna soon became their leader and saw promise and the rebirth of civilization in Alexandria. She believed who people were before the apocalypse mattered in rebuilding and sustaining the community. Reg Monroe, her husband, was a professor of architecture and took charge of building the walls. Her son, Aiden, was in the ROTC and was made supply runner while her other son, Spencer, used the church tower as a sniper's post. She put Aaron and his boyfriend Eric Raleigh in charge of going outside to recruit more survivors due to their experience of working together for an NGO in Africa.

Over time, Aaron and Eric recruited enough survivors to establish a thriving community. However, they recruited a man named Davidson who was the leader of a small group. Davidson and his group did not agree with Deanna and could not work in the safe-zone. Deanna had them exiled and driven out by Aaron, Aiden, and Nicholas, another member of the community. Because of what occurred with recruiting a group of survivors, Deanna suspended the recruiting program from taking in larger groups and instead focused on lone survivors. As time went on, Deanna saw that her citizens were not prepared for the outside world and that being inside the walls since the beginning of the outbreak made them weak and inexperienced in surviving. Knowing that this made them vulnerable to the undead and to hostile survivors that wanted to attack the Safe-Zone, Deanna allowed Aaron and Eric to resume recruiting larger groups.

Hilltop Colony[]

When the apocalypse began, the governor of Virginia declared a state of emergency and requested government assistance in handling the epidemic, bringing in FEMA. FEMA chose the Barrington House as one of its safe-zones, bringing trailers to the location as well as defense, security, and supplies. As survivors began to arrive to the now Hilltop Colony, they found themselves abandoned. Like every other government and military power across the United States, FEMA abandoned the Hilltop, like all the other abandoned safe-zones and civilian populations, leaving the survivors to fend for themselves. However, due to their location, the survivors of Hilltop saw promise. The terrain offered fertile land and crops, while the hill they presided on would offer them an advantage of oncoming survivors and the undead. At some point they used the lumber and tools from a nearby power mill to build a large wall around the colony's perimeter.

Bloodworth Island[]

The base was presumably abandoned by the Navy either during or sometime after the outbreak. At some point, it was settled by Virgil and his family.

Fort Connors[]

A military base discovered by Daryl Dixon with food supplies.[12] At some point in the outbreak, the base fell, leaving the military personnel as lurkers, several with their weapons next to their bodies, albeit most empty of ammunition. Daryl leads a supply mission from Alexandria to the base where the zombified military personnel are "sleeping" before awakening and attacking. A number of the reanimated soldiers are put down by the group before they manage to flee through a pulley system to the roof, leaving Fort Connors overrun by the remaining lurkers.[13]

Fear the Walking Dead[]

Los Angeles, California[]

In the early days of the outbreak, the National Guard was active in Los Angeles, protecting the surviving population from the undead hordes roaming the city. However, as they started to get overwhelmed, the National Guard were ordered to abandon Los Angeles as Operation Cobalt was enacted.

USS Pennsylvania[]

In the early days of the outbreak, one of the Pennsylvania's crewmembers, Friedman, died of appendicits while the sub was off the coast of Galveston and out of contact with command. Unaware of the dangers now posed by the dead, the crew placed Friedman's body in the freezer where he eventually reanimated and bit three crewmembers before finally being put down by Weapons Officer Jason Riley. From the three bitten crewmembers, the infection quickly spread throughout the sub, killing and reanimating all but 8 of the 155-person crew. The remaining 8 - Riley, Chief of the Boat Walter Schowski, McGuire and 5 others - managed to surface the sub and abandoned ship, leaving it overrun with its zombified crew and beached on the shores of Galveston. During this time, the sub was ordered to nuke Chicago, but Riley, McGuire and Pierce all refused to comply before Captain Renwick was revealed to have been bitten and he was then mercy killed by Riley. When they parted ways, Riley took one of the sub's nuclear launch keys and he left the other one with Walter so as to prevent them from ever being brought back together again.

Riley eventually joined Theodore Maddox's Doomsday Cult who sought to use the Pennsylvania's nuclear missiles to end what was left of the world. While the cult ended up with one of the sub's launch keys, bounty hunter Emile LaRoux was hired to hunt down Walter and retrieve the other key. Emile killed Walter and retrieved the other key, but he was subsequently killed by Morgan Jones who took the key for himself.

After Riley was able to retrieve the key from Morgan, the cult put their plan to use the Pennsylvania's nuclear missiles into action. Having been warned by Alicia Clark, Morgan's Group stormed the sub and attempted to stop Teddy and his followers. However, Morgan and Victor Strand arrived too late to stop Teddy and Riley from firing one nuclear missile, although they managed to prevent the two men from firing anymore. Teddy and Riley revealed that the missile contained ten warheads that were all aimed at targets in Texas. Morgan allowed Teddy, Riley and Dakota to leave and angrily ordered Strand to go as well while he stayed behind onboard the Pennsylvania. John Dorie Sr. later deduced that Teddy intended to return to the Pennsylvania at a later time and launch the remaining missiles, keeping Dakota alive as he needed a second person to turn the launch keys. Teddy's further plan was thwarted when an enraged Dakota killed him for his betrayal of her.

Morgan subsequently attempted to stop the missile using the sub's controls, but he was convinced by Grace that it was impossible to do so. Before the two could commit suicide rather than live with what's coming, Rufus arrived with a zombified Rachel and baby Morgan. As Morgan and Grace tended to the baby, multiple warheads detonated nearby, although none hit the Pennsylvania directly. The group took cover under a nearby vehicle from the shockwave caused by the explosions.

Over the next few months, Morgan and Grace turned the sub into their home, putting down the reanimated crew and clearing the sub out of walkers. The Pennsylvania became the home and base of operations for Morgan's Group in their conflict with Strand and his Tower. However, due to a dangerous radiation leak, the survivors were forced to abandon the sub for good just before the final battle for the Tower.

PADRE[]

In the early months after the outbreak, under the command of U.S. Army Major General Krennick, surviving elements of the U.S. Military, including personnel from the Army, Marines and Navy, build a settlement on an island in Georgia using supplies from shipping containers that the US government had set up to rebuild civilization in case of a doomsday event. Stored in a shipyard, the hundreds of shipping containers hold enough supplies to rebuild hundreds of communities. Krennick and his forces prepare to begin distribution following Operation Cobalt and PADRE making contact with Senator Elias Vazquez, but the shipyard is overrun by a massive herd, killing Krennick and all of his men, leaving PADRE without any adults.

Over the next 12 years, Krennick's children Sam and Ben take control of PADRE and reshape the community to their own twisted vision of it. In order to protect the supplies, Sam and Ben flood the shipyard with thousands of walkers, keeping any other survivors from getting at the shipping containers. The two later decide to begin PADRE's Expansion and seek to clear the shipyard and distribute the supplies. Although they succeed in getting the walkers out of the shipyard itself, the PADRE Prefects are unable to eliminate them completely and instead lead them into the nearby swamps. However, Sam and Ben discover that the coordinates for the new communities are missing and deduce that they are on Krennick himself, now one of the walkers. Sam explains that "these locations were developed after years of study by the U.S. Military. They provide the right geographic, meteorological and topographical conditions to ensure the communities we seed survive. We don't find them, we might as well be throwing darts at a map!" However, while the coordinates are recovered by Madison Clark after she puts down the zombified Krennick, Madison chooses not to continue with the expansion after taking control of PADRE. Instead, Madison and her group intend to turn PADRE into what it was always meant to be.

Luciana Galvez later reveals that the Gearheads are responsible for PADRE's fuel supply. PADRE had access to military oil reserves and had made a deal with Luciana, who had experience making gasoline from her work at Tank Town, to refine gas for them. PADRE had also looked the other way when Luciana and her people had used the supplies from their shipping containers to continue the work of Clayton's Group and the Caravan.

Following the Fall of PADRE, Madison's Group takes the renamed MADRE's supplies to build new communities and honor Madison's ideals of trying to build something better. They also apparently share the supplies with other groups as Alicia had encountered another group who were in possession of one of MADRE's shipping containers.

Dead City[]

Manhattan, New York[]

During the early days of the Trials, Manhattan was one of the epicenters so the military was heavily involved in fighting the undead there. The walkers that the military put down were shoved into the sewers which the military sealed up, but eventually they got overrun, with the military personnel reanimating as walkers themselves. In an attempt to contain the walkers overrunning the city, the military blew up all of the bridges and tunnels in and out of Manhattan, trapping everyone still alive on the island.

The Ones Who Live[]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[]

Philadelphia was one of the cities targeted by the military during Operation Cobalt, but the Pennsylvania National Guard rose up to defend it from the military. U.S. Air Force pilot Donald Okafor and his wife a Marine named Estelle defected after Donald took part in the bombings of Atlanta and Los Angeles and Estelle was amongst the Marines sent in to "liquidate" anyone who survived the bombings. Donald instead bombed Lincoln Financial Field, killing Estelle and the 4,000 other Marines gathering there to liquidate survivors. The National Guard ultimately prevailed, saving Philadelphia from both the undead and the U.S. military. Philadelphia was wrongly believed to have been destroyed by other survivors as a result and it became the Civic Republic of Philadelphia while the National Guard became the Civic Republic Military.

Telltale Series[]

Robins Air Force Base[]

An Air Force base where Lilly was stationed, this military base was mentioned in the Telltale Series. Extra dialogue with Mark, who was also stationed there, reveals that the base was completely overrun by the time he escaped. There was a large food supply there though, which the group took and lived off for three months.

Macon, Georgia[]

The military made some attempt to establish a presence at the town in order to aid civilians and help evacuation efforts. Gunfire and explosions were heard by Lee and his group at the motel after escaping his family's drugstore as the military engaged a large horde of walkers. In the end, the military was forced to retreat and pull out of the town as more and more appeared and outnumbered the troops. A military helicopter ended up crashing through the roof of the store sometime later. The pilot inside died and turned in to a walker. An army jeep with a winch attached was also abandoned there, later used by Lee.

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct[]

Oakview, Georgia[]

During the onset of the outbreak, residents of Oakview, Georgia began to flock towards Cherokee Hills Lumber Mill. The survivors there were led by Mike Swenson, a local logger, who fortified the isolated area from the undead. He initiated a deal with a military unit for supplies and ammunition and also began receiving government aid. Unfortunately, the entire place was overrun by walkers during the arrival of Daryl Dixon.

Firesign Stadium[]

Firesign Stadium2

The military evacuation site seen by Daryl Dixon at Firesign Stadium

The Military had organized an evacuation site in Firesign Stadium for civilians seeking refuge from the pandemic. Unfortunately, the entire stadium got overrun by walkers since many who arrived appeared to be infected, causing quarantine measures to be broken. However, pilots, both civilian and military, were still airlifting people away from the stadium as waves of the undead broke through the perimeter. Soldiers who stayed behind were either devoured by the infected or joined it ranks of the undead. Upon Daryl Dixon and his group's arrival, the stadium was already overrun with the last few helicopters departing elsewhere. Daryl's brother Merle then arrived in a humvee and stops Daryl from getting aboard the last one, telling him that the pilot was showing symptoms of the infection, leaving the accompanying survivors' fates unknown.

The Walking Dead: Destinies[]

Harrison Memorial Hospital[]

While trying to rescue Rick Grimes at the start of the outbreak, Shane Walsh encounters a number of soldiers who executing patients in the hospital and fighting walkers outside. Shane is able to fight his way or sneak his way past them, killing up to 17 soldiers in the process as he escapes from the hospital.

Equipment[]

Georgia-national-guard-acu-patch

Patch worn by the National Guardsmen in the show.

Significant amounts of U.S. military materiel appear throughout series media.

In AMC's The Walking Dead:

  • Military (and ex-military) firearms are very prolific. The M4A1 Carbine is by far the most common assault rifle in the TV series. Browning M2HB heavy machine guns have made several appearances, first in Atlanta, and subsequently in Season 3 used by Woodbury residents. In Season 6, Abraham Ford finds an Airtronic RPG-7 (a custom U.S. variant of the Russian RPG-7 developed for the special forces) on a reanimated soldier, later taken by Negan Smith. Other active weapons that have appeared include the Beretta M9, Colt M1911A1, HK MK23 Mod 0, HK MP5, M16A2, MK18 Mod 0, HK416, M27 IAR, M14 EBR, and KAC SR-25. Former military firearms like the IMI Uzi, MAC-10, M16A1, and M1 Carbine also appear.
  • Military gear and clothing, designed to be rugged and withstand the stress of a combat environment (and thus also suited to the post-apocalyptic world), is often used by survivors. Sasha Williams uses an ex-USMC Load-Bearing Vest (LBV). Abraham Ford occasionally wears his issued DCU pants. A variety of vests, holsters, backpacks, headgear, shirts, pants, boots, knives, and other equipment that appear is military issue, or surplus.
  • Abandoned military vehicles are fairly common. Three abandoned M1 Abrams tanks (actually mocked up FV4201 Chieftain tanks that are British tanks not U.S.) exist in Atlanta, one at a blockade and two at the CDC witnessed in Season 1. They are not seen during Atlanta's Season 5 appearances, so their ultimate fate is unknown. A Stryker APC also appears in the Season 1 premiere, most likely equipped with NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection. HMMWVs and military trucks (such as the M-35) make many appearances at military checkpoints.
    • On occasion, survivors make use of military vehicles. In Season 3 The Governor steals two M-35 trucks and an HMMWV from the National Guard soldiers he kills, leaving behind a flatbed truck he later takes when on his own in Season 4. As shown in Season 7, The Saviors have at least one M-35 truck of their own.
    • Mitch Dolgen's tank is an anachronistic 1971 M60 Patton MBT, phased out of the military by 1997. However, many were retained in domestic armories until the mid-2000s as reserve vehicles and target tanks for the USAF, and several have been maintained for display at various bases. Mitch's M60 has also had its coaxial and external machine guns removed, so it is very likely to be one of those decommissioned models (and not his "service tank" as he implies.)
  • Unseen U.S. Air Force jets bomb the Georgia hospital that Rick is in during a flashback in "TS-19". AH-64D Apache helicopters are seen bombing Atlanta during a Season 2 flashback. The national guard helicopter in Season 3 that later crashes is a UH-1H Huey. A crashed CH-47 Chinook appears in the Season 4 premiere.
  • Hundreds of shipping containers stored in a shipyard containing the supplies needed to rebuild hundreds of communities in case of a doomsday event.

In The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series:

  • Very old Civil War-era (deactivated) cannons, howitzers, Gatling Guns, and other pieces of 1860s military hardware and memorabilia appear in a museum Season 2.

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Trivia[]

  • Ironically, the military in the Comic Universe and the Television Universe dealt with the initial fall very differently, with the former tying to protect its citizens by getting them grouped together in large cities and the latter bombing the large cities in order to slow the worldwide spread of the infection.
  • The only known and credited soldier in Season 1 is Private Gaines (played by Mike Senior) in a deleted segment in the episode, "TS-19".
  • The Tank soldier seen in "Days Gone Bye" was portrayed by Sam Witwer, in an uncredited cameo appearance. In interviews conducted after Frank Darabont's departure from the show, Witwer and Darabont revealed that the cameo was intended to set up a prequel episode (or webisode series) with the Tank Soldier as the central character. The story was to have focused on the Tank Soldier's attempts to secure Atlanta, his being bitten by a Walker, and his subsequent lonely death inside the tank.
  • The tank Rick climbs into in "Days Gone Bye" is actually a British Chieftain tank with a few cosmetic modifications to make it look like an Abrams.

References[]

  1. Letter Hacks: Issue 16
  2. Season 1: Episode 1 - Days Gone Bye - Mentioned by Morgan Jones
  3. Season 2: Episode 5 - Chupacabra - (Flashback) Shane and Lori are stuck in a traffic jam and soon witness the Military's shocking effort in containing the outbreak in Atlanta.
  4. Season 1: Episode 6 - TS-19 - (Flashback) Shane witnesses several patients and medical staff members being executed by soldiers.
  5. Cold Storage (Webisodes) - Hide and Seek - As mentioned by Harris.
  6. Season 1: Episode 6 - Wildfire - Stated by Dr. Edwin Jenner in a video log.
  7. Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1, Episode 4 - Not Fade Away
  8. Season 1: Episode 1 - Days Gone Bye - Rick stumbles upon a makeshift military camp.
  9. Season 2: Episode 2 - Bloodletting - Shane and Otis arrive to a nearby FEMA aid station at a local high school, showing infected military and FEMA personnel alike.
  10. Season 3: Episode 3 - Walk With Me - Lt. Welles informs the The Governor of his convoy's situation.
  11. Season 3: Episode 3 - Walk With Me.
  12. "Here's Negan"
  13. "Acheron: Part I"
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