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Author: CrypticMirror

Oct 30th 2015 at 8:31:13 AM

I do think this is tropeable but I would strongly suggest using the standard listing by media, rather than listing by branch of the military, as that is both messy and does not provide for examples beyond the traditional American structure. Just include where they got their military service in the example and list by medium as normal.

Things to mention in trope description might be the difficulty characters have in adapting back to civilian life for ex-military types leading for a desire for structure and clear chains of command, a tendency to lack empathy for people who don't desire the same respect for authority, a tendency for using excessive force (prevalent in older works, but often reversed in newer ones with ex-military members showing more restraint), and a desire in Law Enforcement Agencies (and fire departments and prison authorities -other traditional employer of former armed forces members-) to seek people that have a proved track record in working in stressful jobs, facing physical aggression, anti-social hours, and dangerous situations.  A trope to mention going with it might be ShellShockedVeteran

Some more Law Enforcement and Law Enforcement adjacent, or military and military adjacent examples:

* Played with in ''Series/NewTricks'' where one of the criminals of the week assumes Jack, the eldest of the group, must have been in the military due to National Service, and thus might be able to share his regimental values. Jack, however, states that as he was able to join the police before his call up he was not required to serve with any of the armed forces and a suspect being ex-military does not mean they can expect special treatment from him.

*''Series/RiversOfLondon'':
** DCI Nightingale served in WW2 in an assault on Ettersberg, an action that saw almost all his friends slaughtered and, along with a reputation as a ferocious fighter, left him with a 60 year long case of PTSD. 
** London Fire Brigade arson investigator Frank Caffrey previously served in the Parachute Regiment. He combines his experience from both professions when it comes to arranging fires to help TheMasquerade remain in place.

* ''Comicbook/TheTransformersIDW'': Prowl was a fully paid up member of the Cybertronian police force before becoming a soldier on the Autobot side in their civil war. After the war ends he returns to the security-law enforcement field, but is unable to shake the paranoia and militaristic thought patterns he developed as a soldier and eventually ends up in jail after trying to start a new Cybertronian civil war.

* In ''Series/{{Porridge}}'' Prison Officer Mister [=MacKay=] was in the British Army at some point and has a very authoritarian, stopping just shy of martinet, spit-and-polish attitude towards all the inmates. TheOtherWiki specifies that he was a [[WordOfGod Drill Sergeant in the Argyll and Sutherland Highland Regiment]].

* Set in WW2, ''Series/AlloAllo'' has Officer Crabtree, who is actually a British Secret Agent posing as a French Policeman. After the war Crabtree becomes enamoured with the French lifestyle and chooses to stay in France and becomes a real policeman for the same village.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' "City Watch" sub-series, Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs both served in the Ankh-Morpork regiments as soldiers before entering (or in Colon's case, returning) to the City Night Watch. Military life taught both of them the best way to avoid trouble and find the cushiest postings going.