History Main / SergeantRock

* In ''Operation: Pacific'', the character [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep called simply "The Chief"]] is this. As the Chief of the Boat (a position unique to US Navy submarines), he is the senior NCO aboard, and is responsible for handling the enlisted crewmen the same way an Army sergeant is.

* Sergeant Breckenridge from the Creator/TomClancy novel ''Literature/PatriotGames'', a United States Marine who serves as the firing range instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Compare DrillSergeantNasty. The SternTeacher and DaEditor are more or less the civilian versions. Is the military specific version of TheReliableOne. DaChief can sometimes serve as the rough Law Enforcement counterpart to this trope depending on the amount of action scenes the character is involved in.

Compare DrillSergeantNasty. The SternTeacher is more or less the civilian version. Is the military specific version of TheReliableOne. DaChief can sometimes serve as the rough Law Enforcement counterpart to this trope depending on the amount of action scenes the character is involved in.

* Michael "Combat" Kelly is another Marvel character who qualified. An army boxer released from military prison to lead a squad of {{Boxed Crook}}s in ''ComicBook/CombatKellyAnHisDeadlyDozen''.

* Captain Simon Savage from ''ComicBook/CaptainSavageAndHisLeathernecRaiders''. Creator/MarvelComics really love this trope.

* Michael "Combat" Kelly is another Marvel character who qualified. An army boxer released from military prison to lead a squad of {{Boxed Crook}}s in ''ComicBook/CombatKellyAndTheDeadlyDozen''.

Compare DrillSergeantNasty. The SternTeacher is more or less the civilian version. Is the military specific version of TheReliableOne.

Sergeant Rock is what TheNeidermeyer and the GungHolierThanThou dreams he is. However, Sergeant Rock differs from TheNeidermeyer in that he may be a bully and a blowhard, but he gets the job done while ''never'' ordering his troops to do anything he would not be willing to do himself, and thus the troops respect him, even if they're not always too fond of him personally. Also, unlike the Neidermeyer, [[HiddenHeartOfGold even if he'd never tell them]], he usually [[AFatherToHisMen cares deeply about the soldiers he's in charge of]]. He won't say WeHaveReserves, but if he needs any, he'll be guaranteed to get reserves when it matters. He differs from GungHolierThanThou that he really has what it takes.

* Earl Swagger from Stephen Hunter's novels served with distinction in the United States Marines during [=WWII=] and won the Medal of Honor for his heroism. He then returns to civilian life and becomes an Arkansas State Trooper, where he continues his tradition of badass antics. His son Bob Lee Swagger combined this with ColdSniper during the Vietnam War until a mission went bad, sending him into a tailspin of [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] and [[TheAlcoholic alcoholism]].

* ''Literature/{{Sharpe}}'': In the later books, Patrick Harper takes on this role. Interestingly averted when Sharpe himself attained the rank - he spent his days as a Sergeant as an armory assistant in Seringapatam, then an intelligence officer' adjutant, and then as part of Arthur Wellesley's staff. As the extremely rare case of a soldier making the jump from sergeant to lieutenant, he becomes this trope in all but rank as the story progresses, being a WorkingClassHero who fits in more with the lower-class men under his command than with the {{Upper Class Twist}}s in the officers' mess.

Has a very, ''very'' high chance of being MadeOfIron and also a badass. If also intelligent and/or educated, there are good chances he will make it UpThroughTheRanks as a commissioned officer. Such officers are known as ''mustangs'', or, less favourably, "johnny jump-ups". In some militaries, ''everyone'' starts as an enlisted private, so any officer may have once been a SergeantRock.

* Sarge from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', who is a talking UsefulNotes/WorldWarII army jeep.

* ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'': Sagara Sousuke. Along with being a DrillSergeantNasty. Despite being a pretty [[TheSpartanWay harsh]] and [[TrainingFromHell sadistic]] teacher, he ''does'' get remarkably good results. Just look at the [[BrainwashedAndCrazy transformation]] of the whole army of girly rugby players. He's an even more effective teacher than [[AxCrazy Gauron]], despite Gauron having actually been a reputable and respectable AS instructor at a camp. Sousuke's coaching of Kaname actually managed to make it so that she could best Yu Lan, the assassin that was trained since childhood by Gauron to be a merciless killer.

* ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'': Shirakabe. He’s the face of the old guard in the PrivateMilitaryContractors company of Drankam, and clashes fiercely against TheRival Katsuya for his prideful stubbornness. Shirakabe gets so used to dealing with coddled BoisterousWeakling young hunters there, that seeing Akira being a HumbleHero is downright shocking. Shirakabe prides himself on his GutFeeling, and later serves as a SinkOrSwimMentor to the reformed NewMeat Togami.

* In ''Film/TheAmazingMaurice'', Darktan serves as both this and DrillSergeantNasty to the rats. One example of his Sergeant Rock side is when he leads the Rescue Squad to rescue Sardines from the Pit because NoOneGetsLeftBehind. He takes on multiple terriers singl-pawed and, at the end of the mission, hugs Nourishing and says "Welcome to the Rescue Squad!"

Sergeant Rock is what TheNeidermeyer dreams he is. However, Sergeant Rock differs from TheNeidermeyer in that he may be a bully and a blowhard, but he gets the job done while ''never'' ordering his troops to do anything he would not be willing to do himself, and thus the troops respect him, even if they're not always too fond of him personally. Also, unlike the Neidermeyer, [[HiddenHeartOfGold even if he'd never tell them]], he usually [[AFatherToHisMen cares deeply about the soldiers he's in charge of]]. He won't say WeHaveReserves, but if he needs any, he'll be guaranteed to get reserves when it matters.

This trope has its roots in European military structure and class divisions, coalescing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sergeant was the highest rank a private soldier could reasonably expect to get to. Therefore, any sergeant around was likely a WorkingClassHero who had come UpThroughTheRanks, and, most importantly, he had come from the same place as the men in his command. Above sergeant, however, there was a career ceiling, and it was ''very'' rare for a sergeant to get promoted to lieutenant (although it did happen). Everyone from lieutenant on upward had likely bought their commission, came from the higher classes, and [[EnsignNewbie had never been a common soldier]]. High birth didn't mean that commissioned officers ''[[CulturedBadass couldn't]]'' be badasses, but it did mean that they couldn't have this sort of relationship with the men under their command.

Has a very, ''very'' high chance of being MadeOfIron and also a badass. If also intelligent and/or educated, there are good chances he will make it UpThroughTheRanks as a commissioned officer. Such officers are known as ''mustangs'', or, less favourably, "johnny jump-ups".

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

* John Styker (John Wayne) in ''Film/SandsOfIwoJima'' (and about any other war movie Creator/JohnWayne made).

Sergeant Rock is what TheNeidermeyer dreams he is. However, Sergeant Rock differs from TheNeidermeyer in that he may be a bully and a blowhard, but he gets the job done while ''never'' ordering his troops to do anything he would not be willing to do himself, and thus the troops respect him, even if they're not always too fond of him personally. Also, unlike the Neidermeyer, [[HiddenHeartOfGold even if he'd never tell them]], he usually [[FatherToHisMen cares deeply about the soldiers he's in charge of]]. He won't say WeHaveReserves, but if he needs any, he'll be guaranteed to get reserves when it matters.

* ComicBook/NickFury started out as this with the ComicBook/HowlingCommandos before moving on to become a ColonelBadass.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' positively ''revels'' in this trope, with [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters many examples]], including the one of the most memorable Sergeant Rocks around -- [[spoiler: Sir]] [[AntiHero Horace]] [[BigBrotherMentor Harkness]].

Sergeant Rock is what TheNeidermeyer dreams he is. However, Sergeant Rock differs from TheNeidermeyer in that he may be a bully and a blowhard, but he gets the job done while ''never'' ordering his troops to do anything he would not be willing to do himself, and thus the troops respect him, while not necessarily being too fond of him personally. Also, unlike the Neidermeyer, [[HiddenHeartOfGold even if he'd never tell them]], he usually [[FatherToHisMen cares deeply about the soldiers he's in charge of]]. He won't say WeHaveReserves, but if he needs any, he'll be guaranteed to get reserves when it matters.

* Ronin from ''WesternAnimation/{{Epic}}''. A seasoned Leafman warrior, leader of the Leafmen, Nod's guardian and teacher, and a friend of Nod's late father

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Hiruma from ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' acts like one to his team. He may be a serious {{jerkass}} that his teammates fear, but they all genuinely respect him and are genuinely loyal to him.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Sarge from ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', who is an anthropomorphic UsefulNotes/WorldWarII army jeep.

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

--> ''"All right, sweethearts, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade, I love the Corps!"''

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]

* [[Wrestling/JimCornette Cornette's Army]] had its own [[Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} Sergeant Rock]] to help with its Wrestling/{{SMW}} campaign.[[/folder]]

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* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has them in droves -- after all, while the usual ''modus operandi'' of Imperium's armed forces in WeHaveReserves, the world around is ''so'' [[CrapsackWorld dangerous]] that you need [=NCOs=] to keep their heads level.

*** The Tau special character Darkstrider is similar. He's certainly brave and talented, and has a long list of battlefield successes attributed to him, but he refuses to move beyond the rank of a Pathfinder team leader. Given the Fire Caste's views on tradition and deference to authority, this is grounds for insubordination and termination, but because he's so good at what he does, they overlook it and allow him to stay in his unit.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Gunnery Sergeant Jackson from v4 of ''Roleplay/OpenBlue''. Considering he and his squad had to keep up with a sword-tossing WarriorMonk and a highly agile TykeBomb armed with a SinisterScythe [[ReligionIsMagic blessed]] with [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental lightning]], he's pretty BadassNormal indeed.
* Sarge from ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' is a walking parody of this trope. He seems more concerned with keeping up the appearance of this than actually accomplishing anything, and his competence is directly proportional to how closely his situation parallels how he '''thinks''' warfare should go (which is not often.) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSwZTVK_mQ#t=01m45s Claims to have been personally trained]] by [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Sgt. Avery J. Johnson.]] (Listed above under VideoGames.)
** Character development late in the eighth season brings him a fair bit closer to playing this trope straight, though.
** Agent Washington is currently serving as this for the Blue Team. Trying his best to mold them into a fighting force with something resembling discipline.
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** Ratchet from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' is this.

* Though he was underused as such, Ironhide from ''WesternAnimation/TransformersGeneration1'' (the original) was intended as this kind of character. It shows on occasion.

* The aforementioned Comicbook/SgtRock of Creator/DCComics, of course.