I remember thinking, "Where in the heck is Sahrani?" Apparently it's an island in the Atlantic Ocean. My first deployment, and I'm on some island nobody I know has ever heard of.
Born and raised in Maine, Porter enlisted with the U.S. Army at a young age to obtain a grant through the GI Bill; hoping to apply for tertiary study with a major in history once he returned stateside.[4] It was at this time that he also relocated to Rhode Island state, roughly two years prior to his first deployment to Sahrani.[5]
He was one of the many soldiers who were sent to South Sahrani as part of the U.S. Army's advisory force, initially to train the Kingdom's military against a potential invasion from the North.[4][3][6] Throughout the entire conflict that followed, Porter actively wrote on his personal blog, detailing his experiences and personal opinions as the war went on.[5][7]
Armed Assault (2006)[]
On June 10th, 2006[5], Porter initially wrote what he thought was going to be his final blog entry and was looking forward to getting back stateside.[8]
Like the remainder of the U.S. troops left on the island however, he was eventually caught up in the crossfire between the South and the North when Northern troops conducted a full-scale invasion of the Kingdom.[6] Beginning at Corazol[8], Porter and any remaining survivors were forced to retreat all the way back to Ortego where they began setting up defences under the orders of Captain David Armstrong.[9][10] However, their defences were not enough to stop the SLA's advance. Many of the soldiers in Porter's company were killed, and he was almost fatally shot when a bullet narrowly missed his head.[5][11][12]
With the defence line at Ortego overrun, Porter's company pulled back further south to Dolores.[11] Unlike at Ortego, they would not be holding the line this time around but would rather attempt a delaying action by blowing up the town's bridges to prevent the SLA from crossing the river.[12] They succeeded in destroying the bridges, but were still ordered to retreat all the way back to the capital Paraíso, as word had come in that reinforcements were on the way to relieve them.[5][13]
Porter's company secured the capital city's airport and braced for the SLA's inevitable amphibious assault. They barely managed to hold off the attack long enough for Marines from the 27th Marine Expeditionary Unit (27th MEU) to arrive.[5][14] The MEU's Harrier jets and Viper gunships blunted the SLA's attack and, after their Abrams tanks were deployed onto the beaches of South Sahrani, finally drove the SLA back (literally) into the sea.[15][16]
After allied forces retook the initiative and claimed back all Southern territory, Porter participated in the counteroffensive into the North itself when it is revealed that Northern troops committed war crimes in several of the South'scities.[5][17] After securing the border cities, Porter's company continued its push north alongside allied troops. In preparation for the upcoming siege of the Northern capital, Bagango, Porter's company was tasked with securing the village of Tandag in order to set up a firebase.[18] The SLA attempted another counterattack against Tandag[19] but their offensive was decisively halted.[20]
With Tandag secured, Porter's company were ordered to help break through the SLA's last lines of defence at Obregan. They were also assigned the task of investigating a nearby village that supposedly had an open-air prison camp set up.[21][20] Although Porter's company did discover prisoners at the camp, they were fired upon by SLA soldiers who had disguised themselves as RACS personnel.[22]
In spite of the discovery, Porter's company had no time to deal with the prisoners as they were redirected to join the siege against the capital.[23] Once the last of the SLA's troops were defeated, he and several other fellow soldiers breached the presidential palace. He witnessed the surrender and capture of Prime Minister Torrez and watched as the latter was dragged away in handcuffs.[5][22]
Post-Armed Assault[]
«
I thought I missed my wife and kid before, but now I'm looking forward to a little boredom.
Porter's plans after the war
»
Following the war's resolution which culminated in the North's total defeat, Porter decides to leave the Army and returns back to civilian life with his family. Choosing, as he puts it, to be reassigned to "Fort Living Room".[22]
Personality and Appearance[]
Porter dons the standard attire of a U.S. Army infantryman, consisting of a UCP-camouflaged Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and Kevlar helmet, along with an U.S. Woodland-camouflaged Interceptor Body Armor (IBA) vest.
«
That'll teach me to wish for some excitement. One minute, I'm "patrolling" the beach, the next me and my buddies are racing around the island, dodging bullets, everything FUBARed to hell.
Porter remarks on his predicament at the start of the SLA invasion
»
Porter displays an aloof personality, both in his demeanour and writing. He treats every single one of his brushes against danger with dry sarcasm (and slight relief) rather than shock or dismay, and generally follows his orders to the letter.
That's not to say that Porter's someone who blindly follows without questioning his orders though, as he's quite observant of his surroundings. He also displays a degree of cynicism for politics and is quite dismissive of political figures (RACS personnel included[3]).
In his youth, he played soccer but vastly preferred baseball and hockey instead.[2] And as mentioned, Porter also has a vested interest in studying history; when he wasn't on-duty, Porter spent much of his own time researching on the history of Sahrani[4], or went around simply taking photographs of the country to post back on his blog. However, for OPSEC reasons, he has occasionally been reprimanded for publicly posting such photographs on his blog.[24]
Trivia[]
Although he could technically be treated as one, Porter is not considered to be the protagonist of Armed Assault as there is no actual protagonist for the main campaign.[25]
Given his final blog entry, it is unclear if Porter was aware of the truth behind the existence of the prison camps at Mercalillo.[22]
Porter and Sergeant Stanley Dodds from ArmA Tactics are unique for being the only two American characters who were born and raised in the same U.S. state of Maine (albeit in different cities within the state).
Gallery[]
One of Porter's many self-photographs taken for his blog.
↑ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Beaten Dog, "I still can't get my head around it, but maybe writing it down will help. We're in the middle of a war. Christ, no one saw this one coming. SLA forces have taken full control of the border city of Corazol and continue to press Westward. In the North, troops of the Royal Army Corps of Sahrani have set up defensive positions along the coastal route, and our Stryker Platoons have been put in charge of the defense of the Southern part of the island. It's a lot of land to cover with just two platoons, but you have to use what you've got. Our task is to defend the city of Ortego. After taking out the enemy in the open, we plan to advance back North on Corazol, while the RACS (callsign Marble) comes in from the West. We retake the city, and we're back at DFAC in time for dinner. Piece of cake."
↑ 12.012.1ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Operation Dolores, "After our defeat in Ortego we are trying to stop the enemy in Dolores. But we have no time to organize strong defence. We can not defeat them by power, our chance is to make a trap - city bridges is our tactical benefit. We must fight to the last blood drop."
↑ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Reclaiming, "The Marines have landed North of Paraiso, and quickly managed to roll through the weakened Slag lines in the South. The Northern coastal front however is still too well defended to attempt a direct assault. Despite all their fancy heavy armor, the Marines still need our help in opening up the road to Corazol. There is one small desert road leading behind the main enemy positions. It's well guarded, but just outside of the SLA air defense canopy. Marine AV-8Bs will take out the Slags' defensive position, and our Strykers will race through the gap before the enemy even realizes their flank is exposed. We pop their Shilkas, and with the help of some gunships take control the main bridge behind their Northern front. With their air defenses out of action, gunships and Abrams tanks will be pouring in from all sides."
↑ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Gryphons, "The Great battle is here. Large numbers of enemyarmoredunits have left their defensive positions at Bagango and are heading towards the US Tandag Base. Fortunately we've been expecting that, so we have ramparts set up all around the place. We have also put in a request to the main base for reinforcements and air support for this action. Both will arrive in one go, there are two groups heading there in transport choppers and also there are two attack AH-1Zs to escort them and then support us in the battle."
↑ 20.020.1ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Final Countdown, "Following the success of the great battle we have the remaining enemy forces completely surrounded at their capital city Bagango, despite their humiliating losses they are still refusing to surrender. The last remnants of the SLA's military might continue to hold their positions as they wait for our next imminent move. Following a hasty flyover by one of our Harrier jets we were able to ascertain the basic layout of the enemy's positions, these consist of one main pocket of enemy troops and a number of smaller camps of troops spread all over the city. More importantly the co-pilot of the Harrier noticed what he believes to be a civilian prison camp, so before we can launch our main assault we must investigate this camp and find out whether their are civilians being held against their will. If it's discovered that it is indeed some kind of civilian prison you should liberate the inhabitants by killing any enemies guarding the camp. Only then can you proceed with the primary objective of attacking the remaining enemy forces within the city of Bagango."
↑ARMA: Armed Assault 2006 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Armed Assault, Final Countdown, "US SOLDIER 1: We shouldn't get involved. If we do, the entire operation might be called off. He might just be making this up, and we can't let the North get away with what they did! US SOLDIER 2: And leave these people to their fate? For all we know they'll be shot as soon as we turn our backs. US SOLDIER 1: How many people have been killed in past wars between the Slags and the Royals? Five thousand? Ten? We can end this conflict here and now, saving thousands of lives down the road! It's all fucked up anyway. Sir, it's your call. Just give the order to board the Stryker if you want to head out, otherwise we'll stay."
