How It All Started

Army Field Manual 3-21.8z: 
Infantry Zombie Platoon Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Zombie Warfare


Unless otherwise stated, whenever the masculine gender is used, both men and women are implied. The use of the term zombie is implied to mean a revived corpse, sometimes known as the living dead, undead, walking dead, etc. This field manual provides a doctrinal framework on how infantry rifle platoons and squads will conduct operations against zombies. It also addresses rifle platoon and squad non-combat operations across the spectrum of zombie conflict.

Content discussions include principles, tactics, techniques, procedures, terms, and symbols that apply to small unit operations in the current zombie operational environment (ZOE). It is not intended to be a stand-alone publication. The primary audiences for this manual are infantry zombie platoon leaders, platoon sergeants, and squad and fire team leaders. Secondary audiences include instructors in U.S. Army Zombie Training and Doctrine Command (Z-TRADOC) schools, writers of infantry zombie training literature, other infantry leaders and staff officers and military academy instructors. Infantry leaders must understand this manual before they can train their companies to fight zombies.

The Summary of Changes lists major changes from the previous edition by chapter and appendix. Although these changes include lessons learned from training and U.S. Army zombie operations all over the world, they are not specific to any particular theater of zombie warfare. They are intended to apply across the entire spectrum of zombie conflict. This publication applies to the Active Army, the Army National Guard (ARNG)/Army National Guard of the United States (ARNGUS), and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) unless otherwise stated. The proponent for this publication is Z-TRADOC. The preparing agency is the U.S. Army Infantry School – Zombie Warfare Division (USAIS-ZWD).

Chapter 1. Brief History of the Zombie

To understand the enemy, one must understand the history of zombies. The term zombie originated in Haiti. In Haitian Creole mystical tradition, a zombie is an animated corpse brought back to life by means such as witchcraft. Today, it refers to those personnel who reach the confirmed state of bodily death, and are then reanimated back to a previously unknown cannibalistic phase of human life that only occurs after death.

Modern day zombies are the result of previous immunizations for dementia. Dementia is a broad category of brain diseases that causes long term loss of the ability to think and reason clearly that is severe enough to affect a person’s daily functioning. Dementia affects the brain’s ability to think, reason and remember clearly. The most common affected areas include memory, visual-spatial, language, attention, and executive function (problem solving). Most types of dementia are slow and progressive.

A dementia vaccine was derived from the Ophiocordyceps Unilaterali fungus. Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is an entomopathogenic fungus predominantly found in tropical forest ecosystems. Because of its high success rate, human trials began in shortly thereafter, and it was licensed for human use within a year. The dementia vaccine had eradicated dementia from most countries worldwide and allowed ageing individuals to be more productive in their later years. The world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 10% annually due to the increased production of senior citizens.

The World Health Organization announced that the key component in the vaccine had been morphing within the human brain. The crucial element, Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis began to release a protein-like substance that reversed bodily death in humans. Once death is detected in the brain, an amino acid is released that causes the fungus to spontaneously revive the brain stem and the body to re-animate with the sole focus of survival for the fungus through persistence of the body. The brain stem, which controls basic survival functions, takes control of the body.

Contrary to popular myth, the only way to become a zombie is through traditional death not involving trauma to the brain housing group. The bite of a zombie will not directly cause one to become a zombie. However, the bite can cause death through blood loss or due to a rapid infection derived from zombie saliva.

Most of the world’s population has been vaccinated through the funding of the world’s richest philanthropists; therefore, the zombie fungus resides in virtually all of us. The only way to eradicate zombies, until an antidote is found, is to destroy the brain housing group through whatever means necessary.

The U.S. Army has been involved in the American Zombie War since the first cases were detected. Over 2.5 million people die annually in the United States, which rapidly formed the basis of the current zombie dilemma. The United States supports other nations with expertise as available. However, until the homeland is secured, the Continental United States is the U.S. Army’s primary focus.