2553

• January: Dr. Ruth Charet gives her inaugural address after her election as President of the Unified Earth Government.

• January 31: Dr. William Arthur Iqbal sends a message to his colleagues, concerning the ongoing study of Forerunner artifacts.

• March 3: In a ceremony presided over by Lord Hood, a monument is erected in the Kenyan Savannah near Mount Kilimanjaro to officially mark the end of the Human-Covenant War, and in remembrance of those who gave their lives in the war, including John-117, who is labeled MIA and is (presumebly) posthumously promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. A full military detail, led by Gunnery Sergeant Pete Stacker and including PFC Chips Dubbo, deliver a 21-gun salute to the fallen. Thel 'Vadam and his surviving brethren departed Earth for their homeworld, Sanghelios.