History Main / DoAnythingSoldier

* ''BattlestarGalactica'' suffered from this notably in the later seasons.

* In the Soviet section of the original ''CallOfDuty'', you played as an infantryman, then at one point there was a tank section justified with a blurb about lack of tank crews leading to your reassignment, and then back on foot for the final mission. ''Call of Duty 2'' wisely avoided this by making it clear you played as a different character in the tank missions, then ''World at War'' did the same thing as the first.

* A slightly different example from ''WorldInConflict'': [[NonEntityGeneral 2Lt. (later Lt. and Cpt.) Parker]] is originally an infantry commander, yet throughout the game, he is given command not only over infantry squads, but also armored units, AA batteries, and even attack helicopters in one mission, and in much greater quantities than you would expect for such a junior officer. The ExpansionPack features a different PlayerCharacter but he also comes from the infantry corner, yet is on one occasion given control over ''artillery batteries''.

* ''LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' does this often: In the side stories Reinhard's and Kircheis' first assignment after graduating from military school was driving a scout vehicle in the ground forces. Then an assigment as chief navigator and security officer on a destroyer, a stint as military police investigators, and a cruiser captaincy for Reinhard. Later, when he was a commodore commanding a flotilla of 100 vessels, he personally took to the field during a ground assault on an enemy base and captured their commander. In the main series, Reuentahl and Mittermeyer personally participate in the capture of Ovlesser and the station he commands, even though they were already admirals at the time.

** [[MemeticMutation ''Ramirez do everything!'']]

* ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series: In the second game Jeanette "Angel" Deveraux was a starfighter pilot, but shortly after the end of the second ExpansionPack she transfered to a special forces team doing reconnaissance on the Kilrathi homeworld, and was captured along with them. A milder example that affects gameplay is how the player and the other pilots constantly switch between different types of space fighters, such as interceptors or torpedo bombers, during the campaign, instead of each being assigned to a particular squadron that uses one type in order to fill a particular tactical niche.

* ''WingCommander'' series: In the second game Jeanette "Angel" Deveraux was a starfighter pilot. In the third one she for some reason accompanied a special forces team doing reconnaissance on the Kilrathi homeworld and was captured along with them. A milder example that affects gameplay is how the player and the other pilots constantly switch between different types of space fighters, such as interceptors or torpedo bombers, during the campaign, instead of each being assigned to a particular squadron that uses one type in order to fill a particular tactical niche.

** His mom knew he was going to be the leader of the resistance in the future. She trained him in everything she possibly could. If "pilot helicopter" wasn't on the list, it was one of the few things he would have had left to learn once the rebellion started.

* Somewhat TruthInTelevision, at least for some armies. The [[SemperFi USMC]] takes the position that every soldier is a rifleman and every officer is a platoon leader. So everyone recieves that training, even if it has nothing to do with their "real" job -- it doesn't matter if you're a tank crewman or a fighter pilot, you're still trained as an infantryman. This is apparently typical of marines elsewhere too. As RudyardKipling put it, "[[http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_soldiersailor.htm Soldier an' Sailor too]].

* The page quote is elicited in the ''{{Rifftrax}}'' version of ''{{Terminator}}: Salvation'' when John Connor simply starts flying an abandoned helicopter in the middle of a skirmish. If he could fly a chopper, what was he doing on the ground in the first place?
** Well, helicopters are difficult to maintain, even more difficult to fuel without any sort of airbase, and rather easy to knock out of the sky if the enemy has superhuman aim or MoreDakka--Terminators have BOTH. Figure it out.

** [[MemeticMutation ''Ramirez do everything!'']]

* In KenBurns' TVDocumentary ''[[AmericanCivilWar The Civil War]]'' there were two soldiers - Elisha Hunt Rhodes on the North's side and Sam Watkins on the South - who seemed to be at every major battle of the war in a variety of duties. Rhodes went from Private to Colonel during the war.

* ''WingCommander'' series: In the second game Jeanette "Angel" Deveraux was a starfighter pilot. In the third one she for some reason accompanied a special forces team doing reconnaissance on the Kilrathi homeworld and was captured along with them. A milder example that affects gameplay is how the player and the other pilots constantly switch between different types of space fighters, such as interceptors or torpedo bombers, during the campaign, instead of each being assigned to a particular squadron that uses one type in order to fill a particular tactical niche.
* ''LegendOfGalacticHeroes'' does this often: In the side stories Reinhard's and Kircheis' first assignment after graduating from military school was driving a scout vehicle in the ground forces. Then an assigment as chief navigator and security officer on a destroyer, a stint as military police investigators, and a cruiser captaincy for Reinhard. Later, when he was a commodore commanding a flotilla of 100 vessels, he personally took to the field during a ground assault on an enemy base and captured their commander. In the main series, Reuentahl and Mittermeyer personally participate in the capture of Ovlesser and the station he commands, even though they were already admirals at the time.
* In the Soviet section of the original ''CallOfDuty'', you played as an infantryman, then at one point there was a tank section justified with a blurb about lack of tank crews leading to your reassignment, and then back on foot for the final mission. ''Call of Duty 2'' wisely avoided this by making it clear you played as a different character in the tank missions, then ''World at War'' did the same thing as the first.

* While not a soldier as such, JamesBond certainly qualifies. The only time he couldn't do everything was in Goldfinger, when he couldn't disarm a nuclear device. This was back before the character transcended humanity as he did in later films. Note that in the later film The Spy Who Loved Me he was able to disarm nuclear devices.
* Common in games: In the ''Battlefield'' series, for example, the various class options only covers infantry roles, yet every character can jump into any vehicle at will and take control of them.
* Somewhat TruthInTelevision, at least for some armies. The [[SemperFi USMC]] takes the position that every soldier is a rifleman and every officer is a platoon leader. So everyone recieves that training, even if it has nothing to do with their "real" job -- it doesn't matter if you're a tank crewman or a fighter pilot, you're still trained as an infantryman. This is apparently typical of marines elsewhere too. As RudyardKipling put it, "[[http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_soldiersailor.htm Soldier an' Sailor too]].

* The page quote is elicited in the ''Rifftrax'' version of ''Terminator: Salvation'' when John Connor simply starts flying an abandoned helicopter in the middle of a skirmish. If he could fly a chopper, what was he doing on the ground in the first place?

-->"In today's modern army, ''everyone'' is trained to do ''everything''."
-->[[{{Rifftrax}} Mike Nelson]], on ''{{Terminator}}: Salvation''

!Examples

* A slightly different example from ''WorldInConflict'': [[NonEntityGeneral 2Lt. (later Lt. and Cpt.) Parker]] is originally an infantry commander, yet throughout the game, he is given command not only over infantry squads, but also armored units, AA batteries, and even attack helicopters in one mission, and in much greater quantities than you would expect for such a junior officer. The ExpansionPack features a different PlayerCharacter but he also comes from the infantry corner, yet is on one occasion given control over ''artillery batteries''.

* A slightly different example from ''WorldInConflict'': [[NonEntityGeneral {{2Lt}}. (later Lt. and Cpt.) Parker]] is originally an infantry commander, yet throughout the game, he is given command not only over infantry squads, but also armored units, AA batteries, and even attack helicopters in one mission, and in much greater quantities than you would expect for such a junior officer. The ExpansionPack features a different PlayerCharacter but he also comes from the infantry corner, yet is on one occasion given control over ''artillery batteries''.

- [[{{Rifftrax}} Mike Nelson]], on ''{{Terminator}}: Salvation''