Ghosts (faction)

"We're Ghosts, Merrick. We finish the mission."

- Rorke to Merrick in Legends Never Die.

"Time to work, Ghosts squad."

- Merrick announcing in Multiplayer.

The Ghosts, officially known as Task Force: STALKER, are a friendly faction that appear in Call of Duty: Ghosts. They are composed of the remnants of the U.S. Special Operations Forces. They are also playable in multiplayer, where they fight against the Federation.

Origins
"When the dust and sand had settled, only one of the enemy had survived. He was picked up in the desert, wandering aimlessly, traumatized. He expressed warnings to others of a force so menacing and unbeatable, it could only be described as supernatural. He called them... "Ghosts"."

- Elias Walker recalling the origin story of the Ghosts to his sons David and Logan.

The Ghosts were formed at some point prior to the Federation War. The group has its roots in Operation: Sand Viper, a legendary battle fought presumably during the Tel Aviv War in which, sixty American soldiers from various Tier One Special Forces teams were deployed to fight off an enemy force of five hundred soldiers from overrunning a civilian hospital. Even though they were heavily outnumbered, the American soldiers decided to stay and defend the hospital with their lives, aware that the enemy would massacre its occupants.

Over the course of three days, their numbers were reduced to fifteen soldiers. Knowing that they could not last another night of fighting, the hospital was evacuated overnight and the evacuees led to safety by one of their men. The remaining fourteen soldiers hid amongst the bodies of their fallen comrades across the battlefield and waited for the enemy's attack. Blood from the bodies dripped over them and sand adhered to their faces, providing impromptu camouflage. When the enemy soldiers finally advanced, the soldiers rose from the bodies and ambushed them. The battle was long and fierce; the Americans fired their guns until they ran out of bullets, then used their combat knives until the blades were dulled, then at last resorted to fighting with their bare hands.

In the end, the soldiers slayed all of the enemies except for one man, who was later found traumatized and wandering in the desert. He reported that his unit was wiped out by "a force so menacing and unbeatable, it can only be described as supernatural," and called them "Ghosts."

The legendary American soldiers who fought in that battle became the first Ghosts when the group was formally established; among them were Elias T. "Scarecrow" Walker, Thomas A. Merrick, Gabriel T. Rorke, Keegan P. Russ, and Alex V. "Ajax" Johnson.

2015

 * Operation: Return to Sender - U.S. military sent in to remove the Federation from power while Task Force: STALKER is sent to assassinate General Diego Almagro in Caracas, Venezuela.

2027

 * Rescuing Alex "Ajax" Johnson at the Greenway Park Stadium in Federation-occupied San Diego, California.
 * Operation: Homecoming - Ghosts aid the U.S. military in the defense at Fort Santa Monica in Los Angeles, California from the Federation Navy.
 * Infiltrating a skyscraper during Federation Day in Caracas, Venezuela to interrogate Victor Ramos and obtain intel on Rorke.
 * Operation: Deadbolt - Capturing Rorke from the Federation in "The Freeport" in the Campeche Oil Fields in the Gulf of Mexico.
 * Escaping from Federation-occupied Yucatán, Mexico after a plane crash and Rorke is rescued by the Federation mid-air.
 * Operation: Clockwork - Infiltrating a Federation research base in Federation-occupied Argentina and obtaining information on future attacks on U.S. soil.
 * Operation: Black Ice - Sabotaging the Atlas Platform in the Drake Passage in Antarctica and destroying the oil platform to distract the Federation Navy.
 * Operation: Gravedigger - Destroying a Federation AEGIS destroyer from underwater outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil to allow access to "The Shop".
 * Sneaking into a Federation factory to investigate rumors on reverse engineered space-based weaponry and subsequently carpet bombing the factory.
 * Escaping from the clutches of the Federation in Las Vegas, Nevada after Rorke killed the commanding officer of the Ghosts.
 * Ghosts survive an attack from the Federation Navy and escape the destroyed U.S.S. Liberator in the Pacific Ocean.
 * Operation: Blindside - Ghosts join the remnants of the US military in an all-out assault on a Federation satellite array in the Atacama Desert, Chile to allow a squad of USAF soldiers to raid and commandeer the LOKI Space Station.
 * Operation: Blindside - David "Hesh" Walker and Logan Walker go on a revenge mission to kill Rorke on a Federation supply train in the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Assault Rifles

 * Honey Badger
 * Remington R5
 * SA-805
 * SC-2010
 * FAD
 * MSBS
 * APS Underwater Rifle

Submachine Guns

 * Vector CRB
 * Bizon
 * K7

Light Machine Guns

 * LSAT
 * M27-IAR

Marksman Rifles

 * IA-2
 * MR-28

Sniper Rifles

 * L115
 * Lynx

Shotguns

 * FP6
 * MTS-255

Handguns

 * P226
 * M9A1
 * MP-443 Grach
 * .44 Magnum

Launcher

 * MK32

Special

 * MAAWS

Attachments

 * Red Dot Sight
 * ACOG Scope
 * Holographic Sight
 * Foregrip
 * Tactical Knife
 * Akimbo
 * Silencer

Vehicles

 * MATV
 * Eurocopter EC-635
 * UH-60 Blackhawk
 * AH-64 Apache
 * NH90
 * V-22 Osprey
 * LMV
 * MTVR

Death
The Ghosts care deeply for their fallen. In the event a Ghost is killed, his remains are pointed face down, with his head pointing in the direction of his home and his weapon next to him, so when they are taken to the other side they can watch over their comrades and keep an eye on their enemies.

Their mask is also recovered along with their remains and given to family members, as was the case when Merrick gave Elias' mask to a mourning Logan.

Trivia

 * Their signature weapon is the Honey Badger.
 * There are five skull patterns for the player's squad mates.: