Ben Walker is an American journalist and the protagonist of Homefront: The Voice of Freedom.
History
Background
Walker was a student who attended the University of Southern California and taught under his mentor Frank Shulman, the head of the journalism department of USC. Walker graduated with a bachelor degree in 2013; however, he later found it difficult to find a job in journalism during the same year when the United States economy broke down. As a result, Walker worked at a burger joint in Los Angeles.
In 2015, Walker lost his job as the economic crisis worsened and spent three months bumming around Europe. He returned to the States just in time for the so-called "Wal-Mart Riots". Miraculously, Walker got into a job as a real reporter for a news website operating out of LA, in which he covered the American harsh winter of 2016-2017, strict interstate immigration laws in Texas, Florida, and California, and the incident in which Texas state troopers killed 14 Chicago youths.
In 2018, Walker married to a woman named Rhonda. Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last which ended in an amicable divorce. By 2020, Walker's mother died and left him his family house in the Hollywood Hills, which he embraced as a hermit's hovel. By then, his job as a reporter had dried up and he was forced to take whatever employment he could get. Ultimately, he reluctantly worked for a gossiping online site, Celebrity Trash, the only work Walker could find.
By 2025, Walker didn't take a positive view towards the Greater Korean Republic which had gained such a strong prominence in the world. He had never liked the Koreans, in which his feelings harked back to an inherent mistrust in Walker's family after his grandfather had died in the Korean War. Walker had no living family relatives aside from his ex-wife, who had remarried and rarely spoke to him.
The Korean Invasion
On January 14, 2025, Walker decided to quit his job after being assign to covering a performance at the L.A. Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) by tentative 10-year-old evangelist, Saint Lorenzo, a faux faith healer. At the Arena, Walker met Robert Jacobs and learned from him that he had traveled from Colorado to Los Angeles for a job interview with the Greater Korean Republic's consulate office. Walker persuaded Jacobs into not seeing the evangelist. After attending the performance, Walker wrote a scathing report on Saint Lorenzo's performance as nothing more than as a "circus sideshow." On the next day, Walker visited the office of Celebrity Trash and told his boss Johnny Slazbo that he is quitting.
While at his home, Walker learned from the televised news about a coordinated chain of terrorist bombings in several U.S. major cities, including Los Angeles, New York City, Washington D.C., Dallas, Denver, and Miami, all of which were aimed at mass transit systems; in which the country had never suffered a terrorist attack for at least a decade. Thereafter, Walker continuously and anxiously watched the news before falling asleep from his drunken stupor until felting the EMP blast committed by the GKR which woke him up. He was witness to the chaos engulfing in L.A. caused by the EMP attack and was quick to correctly guess to be a surprise attack committed by the Koreans. Walker then decided that it would be better to leave the city toward Palm Springs in search of an abandoned Marine base at Twentynine Palms.
On January 24, after leaving the Los Angeles county, Walker was making his way to Glendale and stops to eat at a tamale stand and while eating the vendor, customers, and him were met by a renegade biker gang and gets robbed. After the robbery and subsequent gunfight, he took shelter in an abandoned motel. A day later, Walker met with a family, the Franklins, who like him had broken into a motel room to spend the night. He learned from them of their intention to flee to Mexico. After a little chat they heard rumbling, in which Walker pulls out his binoculars and finds out that America is finally being invaded as Korean transport planes appear over the skies.
Walker continued his journey by traveling on Route 62, which was considered dangerous for being teemed with biker gangs, and finally arrived at Twentynine Palms but found the town entirely deserted. He tried to approach the nearby Indian reservation of Twenty-nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, which was still occupied by the Chemehuevi, but was immediately forced to turn away at gunpoint by the inhabitants. Walker resumed to finding the Marine base and was unfortunately attacked and mugged by bikers. Regardless, Walker managed to arrive at the Marine base by foot and founded it to be well stocked with rations and supplies. He remained there for four months of recuperating and training himself in learning to use firearms before the Korean military arrive to occupying the base, and forcing Walker to flee again and wandered aimlessly in the Mojave Desert. For several days Walker dwindled his supplies and almost died from the elements until he was founded by a National Guard unit led by Captain Michael Hennings. After recovering, Walker was able to convinced Hennings to allow him into his unit as their embedded correspondent. He also developed a friendship with Sergeant Wally Kopple.
Las Vegas
In August, Walker and the National Guard eventually arrived in Las Vegas, where the city managed to run self-sufficiently despite of the looming threat of the KPA. Within a week, Walker developed a camaraderie with Kelsie Wilcox and immediately grown attracted to her. Walker then elected to stay in the city after the National Guard left for Bryce Canyon.
By September, Walker decided to become the city's resident disc jockey after he and Kelsie built a homemade radio and was inspired from hearing of other radio broadcasters. Eventually, Walker became an instant celebrity and even receiving regular radio contact from other broadcasters.
Unfortunately, Walker's unflattering criticism towards the Korean occupiers was met with fatal retaliation in which Las Vegas was bombed. Walker with Kelsie and many others barely escaped the doomed city. He led the group to continue following the National Guard's destination, but he made no attempt to act as leader. Eventually, only he, Kelsie and several other survivors arrived in St. George, Utah where they were given shelter by the town's mayor Terrence Marshall.
Joining the Resistance
Walker, Kelsie and three other people left St. George and traveled to Bryce Canyon, where Walker is reunited with Wally Kopple. Walker was dismayed to learn from Kopple that Hennings was killed. Soon after, they were attacked by the KPA. Walker helped the resistance cell until being assisted by Hopper Lee and his Goliath. Realizing that their location is compromised, Walker and Kelsie joined the resistance cell's journey to Colorado. During the journey, Walker resumed his persona as DJ Ben and was convinced by his peers of becoming the "voice of the Resistance."
The group soon reached Montrose and met the local Resistance cell led by Boone Karlson. Although the town was occupied by the KPA, Walker with Kelsie's help managed to broadcast his news by moving throughout the town without allowing the KPA tracing their signal to the Resistance's base. After the Resistance learned of Operation Water Snake, Walker made a broadcast of the Koreans' heinous deed and urging Americans to join the Resistance, and dubbed his moniker "the Voice of Freedom."
Walker later decided to leave Montrose after deciding that his usefulness in Boone's cell had run its course. With Kelsie joining him, he desired to travel across the Mississippi River to learn the fate of the eastern half of the United States.
Escaping to the East
Walker and Kelsie traveled to Kansas City, where the city was heavily occupied by the KPA. They meet up with a contact named Derby to set up a temporary VOF broadcasting. However, the Koreans saw to threaten Walker to cease his broadcast by executing innocent lives if he continues his work. Although very shaken by this threat, Walker refused to comply.
Walker soon learned from Derby that there has been faint radio signals coming from across the Mississippi. Deciding to decipher the signal, Walker and Kelsie rendezvous with Derby at a local college. Unfortunately, KPA authorities led by Yi Dae-Hyun tracked them down and killed Derby and several others. The couple barely escaped but having learned that the mysterious signal was a coded message, thus spurring Walker's determination to cross the Mississippi.
The couple were continued to be chased by the KPA under Yi Dae-Hyun. Walker continued gathering news from his correspondents and broadcasting his message while leaving a difficult trail for the KPA to find them. He and Kelsie took shelter with a small Resistance cell in St. Peters led by Thomas Bendix.
While volunteering to help the Resistance to gather supplies, Walker was surprised to be reunited with Wally Kopple, who arrived with a M1A3 Abrams tank and has been trying to follow him to assist him on his mission.
Walker continued his journey with Kopple alone while Kelsie elected to stay behind. Before leaving Kelsie, Walker told her to carry on his work if he doesn't survive, and learning that she is pregnant with their child. Using the Abrams as their transport, Walker and Kopple managed procure hazmat suits from a KPA outpost during their travel to St. Louis. The two attempted to cross the New Chain of Rocks Bridge, but only to be temporarily impeded by MQ50 MG Wolverine drones. After having dealt with the drones, Kopple stayed behind to draw away the attention of the KPA while Walker crossed the old Chain of Rocks Bridge by bicycle. When KPA forces arrived and destroyed Kopple's tank, making the Koreans believed that they had killed the Voice of Freedom, Walker finally crossed the river. But he was pursued by Yi Dae-Hyun, who noticed him and tried to run him down in a Humvee. Fortunately, Walker had placed C-4 charges in Yi Dae-Hyun's path, and destroying the Chain of Rocks Bridge and sending the Korean agent falling to his death in the Mississippi.
On November 11, 2026, Walker arrived in Illinois and leaving him to wonder what he will do next.
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