I very much doubt that the US would send their own military to clean up a research facility, killing civilians and nuking it to kingdom come.
PMC, funded and equipped by the US government could efficiently do the job, unofficially.
If it it’s not PMC, then they are carrying out some very shifty orders with extraordinarily dodgy protocol.
…which is exactly what’s hinted at by that one HECU saying “Monsters, sure but civilians? I didn’t sign on for this shit. Who ordered this operation, anyway?”
I suppose you’re right. Been awhile since I last played Half-Life 1 so I can’t quite recall that quote.
It actually goes
Sorry for being nitpicky. But yeah, the military operations in BM are anything but legal, and, as shown by the portal storms between HL1 and HL2, unwise and ultimately for nothing.
A PMC can potentially have heavier equipment than the government, it all depends on how much income they generate. It might be illadvized to use a PMC to take care of a mater that could potentially jeopardize national security. PMC’s are essentially mercenaries that are a lot more cohesive since they all have the same Standard Operating Procedures. They are usually more expensive than hiring a bunch of mercenaries separately (depending on the amount of fame or infamy of that mercenary), however there is a set price for the each soldier since they are all working for the same company and make a set rate. Anyhow, they have no loyalty to any state or nation. So one mission they might work for your nation, the next for your enemies. It all depends on which job pays more. The good thing about using PMC’s is that you can deny involvement if it all blows up in your face. If State or Nation sanctioned soldiers are knee deep in shit, they will send any assets deemed necessary to get them out; PMC’s and mercenaries can be hung out to dry when they are in a bad way or if the fuck up royally.
There have been instances where US troops had sketchy mission objectives. Such as being sent into a village and told to kill anything that moves. I don’t know of any situations that involved citizens of their own country though. That doesn’t mean it never happens. I have seen something done that makes me question whether or not the US government would send in troops to silence a whole city-sized research facility that technically doesn’t exist.
On the other hand it also depends if the US is okay with a PMC roaming free in the desert of New Mexico.
Well it isn’t like they haven’t fired on civilians before.
It happens if you eavesdrop on the soldiers inside the missile launch building. After navigating the laser tripwires situated next to the dynamite, you go inside (don’t go in guns ablazing) and hear a soldier saying that.
Actually, you can go in gun a’blazing, and their ghosts will finish the conversation. Good old GoldSource.
If you kill them it’s fine, as long as they don’t get a chance to play their detection lines, but half the time when you sneak towards them they say an idle line and interrupt it. :\
Wait, was that when they fired on a bunch of civil rights protesters? That was during a time when our government did alot of fucked up shit to non-white people. It’s not exactly a shining moment in our history.
If I had to rewrite Half Life I wouldn’t make Marines shoot witnesses. They would be supposed to rescue them and leave 'em in hands of the Black Ops who would later kill them, so they would be our friends in the game. But since they can’t rescue any one, not even themselves, they are ordered to shoot 'em in the place and they disagree, so Black Ops are sent to kill also the Marines and everyone there.
But who does even fucking care about what I think?
Well, the “military” (as the scientists call them) was assigned to kill anyone associated with the project. They began to protest (“Monsters, sure, but civilians?”) so the Black Ops team were called in to kill everyone and everything. Then, IIRC, it was canonized by the creators and, when the Black Ops couldn’t get the job done, they nuked the facility.
Some people still got out, though, and nuking didn’t solve the problems for Earth.
There shouldn’t be any more detail in the storyline than Half-Life already has. There’s a lot of mysteries in the game, take G-Man for example. I’d just keep it like it was in the original game, allow people to think and discuss about what really might have happened. I wander if there’s a word to describe such a thing.
Another example would be the ending of Shutter Island. You don’t know if he was normal or crazy, leaving you to think about it for hours.
How did you manage to continue thinking after watching that movie?! :S
Why the fuck haven’t you people realized that the hgrunts are just generic american militant cannon fodder? No official ties, no designation, just a vague silhouette of a military. Fuck, they’re a PARODY. They’re DESIGNED TO LOOK AND SOUND LIKE FUCKING IDIOTS.
Are we going to argue the biological impossibilities of spongebob being fucking rectangular now? Is someone gonna do a gritty new reboot where he’s fucking round like a real sea sponge and completely miss the point?
Why can’t people ever say ‘Oh hey looks cool, can’t wait to kill them repeatedly’.
Because “them” isn’t just enough. We want names, ranks, social security numbers and favorite hookers.
I wonder if it’s possible to win the game without killing marines 
oh and kill every poor zombie to put them out of their misery.
I’m just trying to be a good person, you know?
Oh wait, there is ‘Notarget’ 
If we’re not gonna discuss the topics of our interests, then what?
Everyone is perfectly aware that Half-Life, and the characters and events in it are fictional and not even remotely based on real life.
But that really shouldn’t stop us from sharing opinions and ideas, right?
Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.