Everyone has their own plans to handle these so called "zombie apocalypses". I'm not talking about those fast moving people in Left for Dead and 28 days later, nor am I talking about the bloodthirsty killers in The Crazies (they're definitely not zombies, though some "ultranerds" will disagree despite their lacking one prerequisite… having been dead before transformation). I'm talking about the slow shuffling moaning zombies… The ones who became that way due to some disease that spreads through bites and scratches. The ones whose virus kills their victims first, then transforms them. And you're probably ultra-prepared for this sort of stuff. You've all got your weapons/supplies caches in your home and maybe hidden all over your city and probably bunkers to hold out in 'til the "undead" die out from starvation.
But how would the military/police forces in your area/country handle such a thing? It's unfortunate that George Romero portrays the military in his movies as being idiotic brutish buffoons, but I think it's portrayal is closer to reality in "The Crazies" and "28 Days Later", despite these movies not being about zombie apocalypses but rather something similar to it.
The U.S. Military would likely bomb my home… TWICE. Once to kill the entire zombified island. The second to make sure the job is really done and to kill any of the fish that may have eaten the zombified flesh. And it'd be done fast enough that no fish would have time to migrate out after having eaten said flesh. Sometimes it really is better to turn a place into a smoking crater than allow a disease which no one has any defense against to spread into a global pandemic.
Of course if they find it early enough and can see it has yet to spread, they would probably take the zombies to some containment area for study…
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Comic Talk and General Discussion *
How would YOUR military handle a zombie apocalypse?
Gotta love it when Lonnehart starts a thread lol!
Iceland's contingency plan for a zombie apocalypse:
Military? What military? In case of a zombie apocalypse, my country would be pretty much fucked. Even our police officers don't carry guns. We have ludicrously tight gun control laws around here and you'll probably have a greater success smuggling drugs into the country rather then weapons. We have 1, counting 1 S.W.A.T. equivalent team. That could show up in full combat gear and shot guns and that would pretty much be the bulk of our force.
The closest thing we have for an army is a volunteer operated rescue organization who trains people to operate in extreme situations and provide first aid treatments in disaster areas (they performed wonderfully during the "unpronounceable" eruption). They own some pretty impressive SUVs along with few helicopters and ships but they don't specialize in weapons, unless you consider a rescue flair to be weaponry.
…hmm… they're also the main distributer of fireworks, though. They sell those during new years eve, to fund their operation, but public handling of fireworks is legal during that time (you should see our new years eve parties). I suppose if they can response quickly enough, they might be able to jury rig some impressive weaponry out of it.
No, I think our biggest advantage would lie in the fact that our population isn't that high to begin with (around 320.000), thus smaller potential for giant zombie hordes. This is then spread around a pretty wide area (approximately the size of England with Scotland cut off). The capital area, which contains over half the population, would be screwed but the smaller towns are spread so wide that they can take full advantage of their isolation. The towns would also have a higher concentration of people with a hunting license, which allows you to buy large rifles.
And of course, thanks to our relationship with our neighboring nations, we should receive military aid, rather quickly.
One thing I don't like about Romero's zombies is that in his world, you're pretty much doomed to loose. Not only do the zombies have some sort of, for the lack of a better word, virus that turns anyone who's been slightly nibbled into a zombie, people who've never been in contact with zombies at all, who die from natural causes, become zombies as well. That's why the entire world becomes suddenly affected when the zombie apocalypse starts, since people are dying naturally, all over the place, all the time. You can never contain it. Even if you create an impregnable barrier, around an area where you can horde the last survivors of Earth, you're bound to have a case where someone unsupervised has a heart attack, falls down some stairs, commits suicide (without shooting himself in the head) and you're safe haven has become a buffet table.
It's just not fair.
I don't believe England keeps much of an army at home, and the police force REALLY isn't equipped to handle violent situations. The metropolitan police might be, but that's London, and they'd probably get overwhelmed.
In my neighborhood it would be the community bobbies knocking on everyone's door telling us to please do stay inside for our safety, they are going to increase the patrol because there have been some reports, but not to fear because they have a good idea who is causing the trouble. Then they would drive around in their little hatchback vauxhalls and their cute little stab vests and try and subdue zombies with truncheons and unauthorised tasers. Afterwards there would be a public outcry at the police's behaviour and investigations would be demanded, and years later there would be an announcement that nothing was resolved.
This is in contrast to the policement of my other home, Boise, where the cops there just love any excuse to shoot the shit out of things, so I think Boise would end up pretty safe. They would only be sad there were no high speed car chases. There's also a national guard base right there in town so they wouldn't have to go far for a little military assistance. Mountain Home AFB is an hour away, but what's the air force gonna do, fly planes at them :smug:
but what's the air force gonna do, fly planes at them :smug:
This, of course you know, means war!
The Air Force has several Ways to go about this.
Security Forces (MPs) would be first on the agenda. Nearly a thousand at mountain home. Trained on any gun available on base, it's your first strike, tho mostly going to used to protect the base First.
They also have F15's. excellent in ground support roles. From other bases would come A-10's, F-16's, and many more! The bombers wouldn't be broken out unless the infection was too massive to care about individual civilians left (no offense)
On top of the air support:
Combat Controllers: Skilled in Jumps, diving, and precision special tactics. Can direct all Air Assets at his Command. Adept at most regular vehicles (not really heavy machinery certified). Trained on almost all guns.
Pararescue: Skilled in Jumps, diving, and precision special tactics. Is a fully qualified paramedic. Going to be really Needed if most wounds don't result in Zombiefication. Trained on almost all guns.
TACP: Combat Controller Jr. This guy is more of a liason to Army Special tactics units. So he'll be riding in with the infantry.
Your move monkee.
It's unfortunate that George Romero portrays the military in his movies as being idiotic brutish buffoons, but I think it's portrayal is closer to reality in "The Crazies" and "28 Days Later", despite these movies not being about zombie apocalypses but rather something similar to it.Actually I think you give the military, or more accurately the civilian command, way too much credit. You're expecting them to act with the speed and efficiency of the Gestapo? Hah!
Just look at the USA's track record at handling domestic disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and you have a pretty good idea at what will happen if there is a zombie outbreak. Yeah, the army boys would eventually be there, but efficient containment is unlikely.
However, given that the Average American is more familiar with zombie apocalypse knowledge than who is actually responsible for 9/11… perhaps a zombie outbreak would actually be efficiently handled.
I would assume experimental chemical bombs would be dropped that attack dead or re-animated flesh. Given that these apparent zombies exist, there must be scientists who know how to deal with them.
Of course, the obvious side effects of the bomb would become quickly obvious, and soon we would have an entire generation of hideous mutants longing for the days of zombification, when the average person just had to have a sawed off shotgun and women didn't give birth to three-headed snake people.
seventy2 is right. The best film depiction of the military responce was Sean of the Dead. The Grenadier Guards (part of the Guards Brigade who are garrisoned around London) would swing into action and just massacre the milling hordes of zombies. Local cops have more heavy gear than they like to show off. Just ask kyupol to give you the links on the upcoming police state paramilitary preparations. They've had this stuff in place for decades. They wouldn't have to worry about non-lethal means of suppression on an enemy already dead and use proper engagement with suffiicent fire to incapacitate the zombies and stop the advance and then they can be dispatched by head shots as they writhe on the ground missing limbs. Irritants like tear gas could be effective as effectively infecting the open sores and destroyed sinuses could incapicitate a zombie. I've never seen anyone consider it seriously. They assume it wouldn't work because zombies don't feel pain and don't realize that the effects of an irritant are more extensive than that. They'd at least be blinded. Attacking a blind enemy is shown in the Blind Dead movie series. How would a blind zombie find you? can they smell you? Not with a nose full of CS gas. Move up silently put the gun next to their ear and blam.
Katrina is a good example though. In Louisiana the call up of the National Guard was delayed and the troops weren't sent where they were needed. In Mississippi it was the exact opposite with the NG on hand and doing their job with few complaints. Once the military was on hand in Lousiana things turned around quickly. It was the civilian administration in Louisiana that failed not the military and not the civilian authorities in other areas that were hit worse in Alabama and Mississippi. It's become an urban legend. Evidence of what actually happened doesn't matter.
The closest event to a zombie attack would be a major riot in a city. Controlling zombies however would be a lot different from controlling rioters. A National Guardsman's experience of this is totally different from what the media tells you. The looting in New Orleans had troops expereinced in urban warfare from postings in Iraq responding and it was under control quickly. With zombies it would be easier. Anything shambling is dead. Zombies won't blend in or seek shelter and aid like a fighter in a counter insurgency. In come the troops evacuate the live people and then engage the enemy.
It would be a surgical operation and the US currently has a force perfectly trained to take care of a zombie apocalypse. Air power would not be blindly used to devestate whole areas unless recon indicated there were hordes of undead in the area that needed destroying. This wouldn't be Vietnam with napalm everywhere and Arclight and Rolling Thunder B-52 raids across the country. Small task forces would be sent in pacify areas and eliminate zombies not kill everything that moved with pinpoint accuracy.
If we are going with the dumb shambling zombies even American Civil war reinactors with live minie bullets firing volleys in formation could effectively stop the zombies.
For George Romero movies even he's running out of places to attack where the zombies would win. His first movie portrayed it the best with the police and military roaming around and controlling the zombie menace and low budget horror movie producers are notorious for their ridiculously skewed portrayal of the military. Though some of them admit they're doing it as satire. Remember they're movies and the whole helplessness is part of the dramatic presentation and is not accurate about what would happen. Besides even if the movie has a military advisor he's only there for the uniforms.
It's unfortunate that George Romero portrays the military in his movies as being idiotic brutish buffoons, but I think it's portrayal is closer to reality in "The Crazies" and "28 Days Later", despite these movies not being about zombie apocalypses but rather something similar to it.Actually I think you give the military, or more accurately the civilian command, way too much credit. You're expecting them to act with the speed and efficiency of the Gestapo? Hah!
Just look at the USA's track record at handling domestic disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and you have a pretty good idea at what will happen if there is a zombie outbreak. Yeah, the army boys would eventually be there, but efficient containment is unlikely.
However, given that the Average American is more familiar with zombie apocalypse knowledge than who is actually responsible for 9/11… perhaps a zombie outbreak would actually be efficiently handled.
Oddly enough I agree with you… but only as so far as if the zombie plague was caused by things outside the U.S. Military's control. Now what if a virus the U.S. Government was experimenting on escaped and they're aware that the virus kills then zombifies its victims?
Oddly enough I agree with you… but only as so far as if the zombie plague was caused by things outside the U.S. Military's control. Now what if a virus the U.S. Government was experimenting on escaped and they're aware that the virus kills then zombifies its victims?
It would be handled the opposite of what you think. if we have no control on how it started the government's gonna work hard to fix, look like heroes. If they started, they'd deny it's even happening. take longer to fix.
Three possibilities:
1) Ignore it.
2) Become higher level zombies who beat down the sheep… errr… I mean, regular zombies.
3) Surgically remove the zombie lords that have hijacked the system. So there may be a thousand year golden age of liberty for the nation and the rest of the planet.
In today's world? Between facebook, youtube, twitter, etc. folks would know about it and act on it immediately. Whether that means Anarchy, Martial Law, or both I can't be sure. It would spiral out of control and take way too long to respond and continue to be a menace forever (because who can really say they found ALL the zombies) but eventually parity would be established and the threat … "contained" until a more permanent solution is found
hmmm… North Dakota has two military bases here.
but, the military bases here are the air force…not ground troops.
so, they probably would use armed helicopters to shoot zombie hordes on the ground. or airplanes with bombs to bomb whole towns and cities if they felt the situation had gotten out of control.
hmmm… North Dakota has two military bases here.
but, the military bases here are the air force…not ground troops.
so, they probably would use armed helicopters to shoot zombie hordes on the ground. or airplanes with bombs to bomb whole towns and cities if they felt the situation had gotten out of control.
Minot AFB has ICBMs and B-52s. Since it has strategic assets it has lots of security personnel. (four squadrons) Sure they're not Marines but they include lots of special ops types. Grand Forks AFB has Predators for border and customs duty. You won't be carpet bombed, this ain't Vietnam anymore.
The North Dakota Army National Guard includes several battalions of veteran infantry just returned from KFOR. Didn't know we still had troops in Kosovo did you?
North Carolina, one of the worlds largest concentrations of fire-arms and ammo, many teenagers here have experienced fire-arm training, as do their fathers, and granpa probably could beat them all at the range. That's the average family we have here. Plus high concentrations of Military, all over the place. With Military so close at hand, with such defensible bases, with all those vehicles, they would make mince-meat of the meat-eaters. But due to local raiders taking advantage of hte situation, we would have to deal with loads of crazy holed up survivors, picture the gun shop owner from dead rising. But we have good amounts of food scattered in small stores, and hell, I'm 15 and I know how to handle a hunting rifle, a bow and arrow, and I can swing an axe! Yeah, not that bad here. However, the city I used to live in, NYC, they'd be really, really screwed over.
I own both of the zombie guide books by Max Brooks, have seen Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil and Zombieland, and have multiple zombie plans for use on a moments notice, both if or if not I am infected. However, if a zombie apocalypse does occur, the ones we really need to worry about are our government, not the zombies themselves. As a case in point, watch Resident Evil 2 or even AVP 2(no zombie but similar apocalypse concept). What Government wants to believe that the dead have risen? The would probably bomb the area to not only take out the zombies, but any witnesses, too. So, my third rule to surviving the zombie apocalypse is get out of town. Better to be gone than there when the air force starts bombing those bastards.
-regiz the painter
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