Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (1983: Doomsday)

In January 2011, a search group from Kentucky was doing a research project in the ruins of DC. The area had been hit heavily on Doomsday, leaving sheets of glass. This was the focus of the research. As they walked around, an ariel shot of the crater revealed a safe in the middle of the ruins. The team took the safe back to Kentucky. It looked to have been there since after the bombs fell. There was rust covering the top. This allowed the safe to be easily broken into.

Inside were documents handwritten by a guard in the Arlington National Cemetary.

Further exploration showed a skeleton near the site where the safe was discovered and a collapsed tunnel. It was probable that the safe and skeleton were left after the bombs fell.

The owner of the journal (and most likely the skeleton) was a guard by the name of Daniel Kelly

July 4th, 1983
I was recently added as a guard to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers! I am very honored. The training is difficult and the practices are even more difficult. For example, a guard cannot swear for the rest of his life. I used to have somewhat of a bad mouth before this, so it might be difficult. Also, I can't talk to anyone for six months!

August 24th, 1983
I almost broke my vow of silence today when I stubbed my toe today. I'm lucky I didn't swear, much less talk!

September 25th, 1983
Right after my shift was over, there was a bright flash of light and a boom. The hatch to the underground barracks collapsed, trapping us. The lights went out and we were in complete darkness. Then, there was a blast that was so loud, we curled up on the ground. There were several more blasts afterwards. I managed to find a lighter in the barracks and I lit a candle. The barrack was okay, save for a few cracks in the walls. The man next to me was deaf. Blood dripped out of his ears.

September 30th, 1983
We debated whether or not to go topside to see what was up. Of course I couldn't contribute to it. Thank God we stayed put.

October 5th, 1983
We're on reserve food now and rationing it. We can't go topside to get more food, if there is any.

October 29th, 1983
The power came back on today. We could see that our skin was pale and patches of stubble grew on our face, despite our efforts to shave them off. Security cameras were still offline. Sergeant Johnson is still deaf.

November 3rd, 1983
Private Duncan hanged himself today. He had been growing depressed and angry. Some of us are wondering whether or not to EAT THE BODY. I will not have any participation in any cannibalism. I wanted to suggest we dig a hole or cremate him or something, but I can't talk. The others ate the body. I didn't eat it.

November 19th, 1983
The most popular theory now is that there was a nuclear war. Sergeant Johnson and Private Kaiden agreed to shoot each other today. The shots echoed throughout the base. There are now five of us. All of them but me have resorted to cannibalism.

November 30th, 1983
Ron has been complaining of headaches since October. He died in his sleep today. This leaves four of us.

December 12th, 1983
Erwin and Harold had a fight over who should get the last piece of hardtack. Erwin was strangled to death while Harold was stabbed. Harold died of his injuries an hour later.

We're an army of two.

December 23rd, 1983
Owen told me he was going to commit suicide and tried talking me into it. I wrote down that he shouldn't do it, but I was backhanded. When I woke up, Owen was nowhere to be found. He left a note by the crematorium though.

Dan,

''Sorry about hurting you. We've been through hard times together, bud, but we can't survive. I know we can't go topside, and I know it'd be shitty of me to leave you with a dead body to clean up. Face it: the US is dead, the vows are dead, and we're dead. If you decide to power through this, go ahead. I left you a gun to spare yourself of the misery.''

I decided to hop in the crematorium to save you the trouble.

See ya later!

December 31st, 1983
A call came through. There was no one but me to respond to it. "Is anyone there? Repeat: Is anyone there?" echoed through the base until I disconnected the phone. I can't betray the vow.

January 12th, 1983
The walls buckled today and the western wing of the base collapsed.

January 15th, 1983
More of the base is coming down. I can't believe how fast it's collapsing. I might have to abandon it today.

January 24th, 1983
I grabbed a safe, this journal, and went topside. DC was a crater covered in glass. What's not destroyed is highly radioactive. I put this journal in the safe. My skin feels like it's on fire. Goodbye.