History Main / SoldiersAtTheRear

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Simpson Tide", Homer joined the US Naval Reserve expecting it to be like this. It doesn't quite go according to plan.

* In ''BlackadderGoesForth'' Major Darling is happy to be General Melchett's aide-de-camp because that way he doesn't have to be in the trenches. In the last episode he gets sent there anyway.

* Possible inversion or subversion in Major Winchester from ''{{MASH}}''. He was using connections to keep his Tokyo posting until he ticked off the wrong person, and spent most of the rest of the show trying to pull strings and get back to a nice safe clean Tokyo hospital.

* ''AllQuietOnTheWesternFront'' has Corporal Himmelstoss.

-->--'''Specialist Grimes''', ''BlackhawkDown''

In fiction, a REMF tends to be portrayed as someone who sought the job and got it because he knows a guy. He pulled strings. He's a Senator's Son. He's a celebrity. Because fiction tends to be black and white, the REMF usually isn't portrayed as someone who got lucky, but as someone who kissed a lot of fat, rich behind.

In RealLife, the REMF is often just someone who happens to not be in the shit. The military is big and a lot (to the tune of 10-15 REMFs for every guy actually pulling a trigger) of necessary jobs don't necessarily involve you getting shot at by random [INSERT BAD GUY HERE]s; some people are just lucky. He's still a REMF, though. Mother fucker didn't get shot at.

Along with REMF, Pogue is a term with similar connotations (from POG: Person Other than Grunt). Fobbit (Forward Operating Base + Hobbit) is another similar term, specific to troops deployed but who do not go on patrols for varying reasons.

* ''{{Firefly}}'': Browncoats all fought, killed, and died, apparently. Alliance all apparently lived rich, fat and happy, far away from the war. Mal never met an Alliance veteran.

He's the Rear Echelon Mother F... Father. Whereas a civilian might not know any better, being fat and stupid, this guy's actually been through basic training and had to pull strings and know people to get his cushy job. Or he got lucky and is assigned to a unit that's not going to combat. Either way, he gets all the perks of being a soldier (drinking and wearing a uniform) and none of the hassle (strangers trying to kill you a lot). He's the military version of the fat, lazy cop.

-> '''(While making coffee)''' ''"I made coffee through Desert Storm. I made coffee during Panama, while everyone else got to fight, got to be a Ranger. Now it's "Grimesy, black, one sugar" or "Grimesy, got a powdered anywhere?""''

-> '''(While making coffee)''' "I made coffee through Desert Storm. I made coffee during Panama, while everyone else got to fight, got to be a Ranger. Now it's "Grimesy, black, one sugar" or "Grimesy, got a powdered anywhere?""''

-> ''(While making coffee)'' I made coffee through Desert Storm. I made coffee during Panama, while everyone else got to fight, got to be a Ranger. Now it's "Grimesy, black, one sugar" or "Grimesy, got a powdered anywhere?"

->'''Soldier''': Dog-gone it! The D-FAC is out of crablegs again! This place sucks.\\
'''SGT Murphy''' & '''SGT Blackwell''': FOBBIT!
-->-- ''PVTMurphysLaw'', [[http://www.pvtmurphy.com/Prints/Fobbit%201.htm "Fobbit I"]]

* Specialist Grimes, (EwanMcGregor) one of the [[BadassArmy Rangers]], in ''BlackhawkDown'' has always been away from the fighting, a fact he says isn't his fault. It's because he has a rare and valuable skill beloved by the Army that keeps him busy: [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome He can type.]] However, he doesn't like being in this trope and actually wants to fight.
--> '''Grimes''': (While making coffee) I made coffee through Desert Storm. I made coffee during Panama, while everyone else got to fight, got to be a Ranger. Now it's "Grimesy, black, one sugar" or "Grimesy, got a powdered anywhere?"

** Needless to say, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he ends up getting caught up in the worst of the movie's fighting.]]

In RealLife, the REMF is often just someone who happens to not be in the shit. The military is big and a lot of necessary jobs don't necessarily involve you getting shot at by random [INSERT BAD GUY HERE]s; some people are just lucky. He's still a REMF, though. Mother fucker didn't get shot at.

* One of the [[BadassArmy Rangers]] in ''BlackhawkDown'' has always been away from the fighting, a fact he says isn't his fault. It's because he has a rare and valuable skill beloved by the corp that keeps him busy: [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome He can type.]] Needless to say, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he ends up getting caught up in the worst of the movie's fighting.]]

* ''BandOfBrothers'' mostly featured genuine grunts on the ground and in the shit. A few people qualified, though.
** Many of the higher ranking officers might qualify, as they had no real understanding of the situation on the lines. Captain (later Major) Winters was exempt because he had combat experience and trouble distancing himself from his men following promotion.

** A little green lieutenant showed up late in the war, desperate for field experience. Everyone smirked at him and hoped he didn't get anyone killed. After one sortie across a river, he was promoted because he was related to someone and everyone shrugged it off.

* One of the [[BadassArmy Rangers]] in ''BlackhawkDown'' has always been away from the fighting, a fact he says isn't his fault. It's because he has a rare and valuable skill beloved by the corp that keeps him busy: [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome He can type.]]

* One soldier in ''BlackhawkDown'' has always been away from the fighting, a fact he says isn't his fault. It's because he has a rare and valuable skill beloved by the corp that keeps him busy: [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome He can type.]]

* One soldier in ''BlackhawkDown'' has always been away from the fighting, a fact he says isn't his fault. It's because he has a rare and valuable skill beloved by the corp that keeps him busy: He can type.

* [[RyanVerse John Clark]] ''hates'' REMFs, especially when one is in charge of an operation and fails to run it properly, putting the front-line grunts at risk. In ''Clear and Present Danger'', when he finds out that [[spoiler: National Security Advisor James Cutter]] is behind the deaths of some Army soldiers, he personally talks to the man and convinces him to [[spoiler: commit suicide rather than face the inevitable Congressional inquiry]]. And he does it with a smile.

* During World War II, CaptainAmerica had the secret identity of a clumsy infantry private who'd get stuck at rear.

This guy is often GungHolierThanThou and a MilesGloriosus. A bad OfficerAndAGentleman and GeneralFailure are both probably [=REMFs=]. A good DrillSergeantNasty rarely is. A [[DraftDodging Draft Dodger]] may run to Canada or get himself a REMF job. See also ArmchairMilitary, and DeskJockey.

* ''Film/IronMan'': Arguably, Tony Stark starts out as one in the first movie, then matures and becomes a decent guy after, you know, nearly dying and being tortured in a cave with a box of scraps.

* CiaphasCain aspires to be this; early in his career he managed to pull some strings (although by doing well at poker, since he's ConvenientlyAnOrphan like all other Commissars) and get himself transferred to a nice, safe artillery unit. Later his reputation makes this much harder, so he has to find somewhere safe to be when the fighting breaks out. It always leads to a sort of self-targeting Reassignment Backfire when he inevitably gets in danger anyway (and thus even more of a reputation when he survives).

* In ''TheNavyLark'' C.P.O. Pertwee dreads the spectre of active service, mainly because he's making a very good living selling navy stores on the black market. Despite his best efforts HMS Troutbridge eventually does put to sea.

* In ''{{Futurama}}'', Fry and Bender join the military purely for the benefits. Unfortunately for them, shortly afterwards, war were declared and they are shipped to the front lines.

* An inversion: one episode of ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' dealt with Riker being offered his own command. He turned it down because the ships offered were in areas of space that were less likely to see action.

** Captain Nixon never fired his gun in combat, a fact he lamented. May qualify as he spent much of the war cultivating his alcoholism. Probably doesn't, as he jumped out of a plane into three separate war zones and spent a lot of time freezing in a hole in Bastogne.
** Any soldier who was insufficiently eager to escape from an army hospital and rejoin the effort was viewed with suspicion. If you didn't buy a ticket home with genuine infirmity, then you belonged on the lines, dammit.