Halo Living Monument

The speaker dedicating the living monument.

Halo Living Monument is a viral site that commemorates the tenth anniversary of theHalo franchise and the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. On the site, players are able to upload their own photo to a mosaic of John-117, similar to the monument to NOBLE Team that was used to promote Halo: Reach. A live action short was advertised on Halo Waypoint following the opening of the viral site.

Transcript

A speech is heard as an unidentified man walks down a corridor. The camera angle cuts to the man's midsection, whereby the insignia on his arm denotes the rank of commander.

• Commander (echo): "In war... the first thing lost is time."

Scene cuts to a large room with UNSC insignia decorating the wall; a tall dais with a podium stands at the front of the amphitheater. A video screen behind the dais also displays the UNSC ensign. A crowd of servicemen and servicewomen are seen standing at attention. The scene cuts back to the commander walking down the corridor.

• Commander (echo): "The hours become days... the days, years... and the years turn into decades."

The commander straightens his uniform and puts on his cap. The scene then cuts to the hall, where he begins his speech. The video screen starts displaying footage of the war, beginning with SPARTAN John-117 at the Battle of Voi.

• Commander (echo): "Some of us can't remember a time before the Covenant. War is all we know,"

The servicemen and servicewomen salute the commander, who returns their salute.

• Commander (echo): "And in our ongoing conflict we've lost more than our sense of time..."

The speech cuts away from the echo heard before, and the commander now says the rest of the speech in real time. The screen continues to show footage of John-117, as well as Marines engaged in the Harvest Campaign and Sergeant John Forge fighting Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee at Shield 0459. The screen also begins to list the names of servicemen killed in the war, presumably posthumous recipients of the Legion of Honor.

• Commander: We've lost loved ones, planets, and entire civilizations. To think there was once a time of peace is almost unimaginable. But we were courageous; we fought back. In our battle for humanity we have lost so much, but we've been given heroes... heroes who fought tirelessly to defend us: at Harvest; at Reach; at New Mombasa... brave soldiers who sacrificed everything to eliminate the Flood. They didn't fight for glory. Nonetheless, it's there for all to see.

Camera centers on a view screen behind the commander, who also looks to the screen. The screen lists planets glassed by the Covenant and ships that were lost with all hands. It continues to list the names of apparent Legion of Honor recipients, including Avery J. Johnson.

• Commander: "Today we launch the living monument. To those who continue to fight and asked for nothing in return: War takes, but it leaves us with legends; it leaves us with heroes, and heroes never die!"

Trivia

The footage shown during the ceremony includes scenes from Halo 3, Halo Wars, the Halo 3 2006 trailer, and the Keep It Clean trailer. While this footage was likely used only for dramatic effect, the fact that the screen shows Sergeant Forge fighting the Arbiter on Shield 0459 may suggest that the UNSC Spirit of Fire eventually returned to UEG-controlled space.