United States Armed Forces

*"We are warriors. We served this country, and did our duty. We continue to serve our community and set an example because we are not alone. We are stronger together."*
—Clark Flat
The **United States Armed Forces** are the military forces of the United States of America. They mainly consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

## History

### High Ground

For millennia, armies have sought to occupy the high ground as the most basic part of operations and tactics. Armies and empires have risen and fallen as a consequence of who has occupied the high ground.

### World War I/Great War

A war in which the Central Powers were defeated by an alliance of Britain and its dominions, France, Russia, and others, later joined by Italy and the US.

Political tensions over the rise of the German Empire were the war's principal cause, although it was set off by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Bosnian Serb nationalist (Gavrilo Princip) in Sarajevo, an event used as a pretext by Austria for declaring war on Serbia. Most of the fighting took place on land in Europe and was generally characterized by long periods of bloody stalemate; the balance eventually shifted in the Allies' favor in 1917 when the US joined the war. Total casualties of the war are estimated at 10 million killed. One of the consequences of the war was the collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman empires.

World War I was more widespread and greater in casualties then any war that had ever come before it.

### World War II (1939-1945)

A war in which the Axis powers were defeated by an alliance eventually including the UK and its dominions, the former Soviet Union, and the US.

Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 led Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany. Germany defeated and occupied France the following year and soon overran much of Europe. Italy joined the war in 1940, and the US and Japan entered after the Japanese attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbor. Italy surrendered in 1943, and the Allies launched a full-scale invasion in Normandy in June 1944. The war in Europe ended when Germany surrendered in May 1945; Japan surrendered after the US dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. An estimated 55 million people were killed during the war, including a much higher proportion of civilians than in World War I.

### Vietnam War (1955-1975)

A war between communist North Vietnam and US-backed South Vietnam. Unlike World War II, the military objectives in Vietnam War were not so cut and dry: it was controversial and the reasons for getting involved were murky. The Vietnam War was at its height in 1967.

After the partition of Vietnam in 1954, the communist North attempted to unite the country as a communist state, fueling US concern over the possible spread of communism in Southeast Asia. US Army forces were sent to Vietnam in 1964, supported by contingents from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand, while US aircraft bombed North Vietnamese forces and areas of Cambodia. The Tet Offensive of 1968 damaged US confidence, and US forces began to be withdrawn, finally leaving in 1973. The North Vietnamese captured the southern capital Saigon to end the war in 1975.

## Decorations

* **Medal of Honor**
* **Navy Cross**
* **Silver Star:** For distinguished gallantry in action against an enemy.

## Paraphernalia

### Attire

* **MICH:** MICH (Modular Integrated Communications Helmet) TC-2000 Kevlar Advanced Combat Helmets.
* **Interceptor Body Armor:** Interceptor body armor bullet-resistant vests.

### Weaponry and Gadgets

* **Handguns**
	+ **Colt M1911:** A world-renowned pistol that was once commonly used in the U.S. military. It packs a lot of stopping power at close range.
	+ **Beretta M9:** M9 Beretta double-action pistol, standard issue sidearm in the Army.
	+ **SIG Sauer P226:** A 9mm semi-automatic handgun with short to medium range, low stopping power, a large magazine/ammunition capacity, high rate of fire, and increased recoil. This is a main sidearm of Navy SEALs.
* **Rifles**
	+ **M1 Garand:** A standard issue U.S. rifle. .30 caliber M1 is a clip-fed, shoulder-fired, semi-automatic weapon designed to bring death and destruction to the enemy.
* **Shotguns**
	+ **Remington 870:** A 12-gauge pump action shotgun with a large barrel that allows for enhanced range.
	+ **Benelli Super 90/M1014:** An Italian medium-range semi-automatic shotgun used in the Marine Corps. It is a highly-durable, military-grade weapon with good range, lethal at close range.
* **Assault Rifles**
	+ **M4A1:** M4A1 full-auto assault rifle with low recoil, military-grade weapons. Effective at medium range. The M4A1 favors top handling and mobility, and its minimal recoil keeps you on target through sustained fire, making up for the weapon's low damage output with consistent, accurate shots.
	+ **M16:** The standard assault rifle for the Marines. A three-round burst, fully automatic assault rifle effective at medium to long range.
	+ **FN SCAR 16:** A military assault weapon with a grenade launcher.
	+ **Mk17 SCAR Long Barrel** A modular, reliable combat rifle, the SCAR-L fires lighter 5.56mm cartridge, and the other SCAR is a SCAR-H that chambers the heavier 7.62 rounds, ample munition for both.
* **Machine Guns**
	+ **M249:** An iconic light machine gun, accurate in medium range with high ammunition capacity and efficient suppressive fire. This machine gun is gas-powered, air-cooled, and fires up to 800 rounds per minute. It is a lightweight, compact machine gun that combines excellent maneuverability with a high rate of fire to devastating effect.
	+ **Browning M2:** A heavy machine gun, firing well-aimed shells from American-made M1117 Guardian armored security vehicles.
* **Submachine Guns**
	+ **Heckler & Koch MP5:** A submachine gun used in the Navy.
	+ **Heckler & Koch MP7A2:** For close-in work, a close to mid-range submachine gun with high penetration. This SMG's smaller rounds help reduce its recoil.
* **Sniper Rifles**
	+ **Winchester Model 70:** Used by the United States Marine Corps.
	+ **Barrett M99:** Garrett Brockton's, soldier, Jackson, used this sniper rifle against EPF Agent Bruce.
* **Explosives**
	+ **M67 Grenade:** M67 hand grenade.
	+ **XM-25 Grenade Launcher:** A grenade launcher much thicker than a conventional rifle and comes equipped with a pyramid-shaped scope. With this, soldiers laser-designate their targets, use the scope to set range, and then fire. Each 25-millimeter round packs two warheads that are more powerful than the conventional 40-millimeter grenade launchers. The round detonates midair, sending a cloud of fragmentation that would shred anyone.
* **Gadgets**
	+ **Binoculars:** Steiner T42 Tactical 10 x 42 binoculars, and Steiner 7 x 50rc M50rc binoculars.
	+ **Night Vision Goggles:** L-3 GPNV-18 night vision goggles.
	+ **iPad**
	+ **Motorola XTS5000R:** A secure UHF radio.
	+ **Panasonic CF-29 Laptop**

### Transportation

* **Sea**
* **Air**
	+ **Global Hawk**
* **Land**
	+ **Humvee**
	+ **M1117 Guardian ASV:** An armored security vehicle with a maximum speed of sixty miles an hour.