History Main / VeteranInstructor

* After the war ends in {{Animorphs}}, Jake works training a squadron of morphers for the US military.

# He is assigned this duty as his military's standard policy of assigning notable combat veterans as instructors since they care considered more useful teaching new recruits the skills they learned in the field.

A [[OldSoldier decorated war vet]] who teaches [[EnsignNewbie novice officers]] instead of advancing up the CommonRanks ladder. Probably a military [[ShroudedInMyth legend]] and always gets his chance to shine in the OldMaster or RetiredBadass way sooner or later. There can be three reasons for him getting stuck in that position:

* TerryPratchett has Sergeant Jackrum of the Borogravian army in Monstrous Regiment. He [[spoiler:or indeed, she]] has been in the army so long that retirement papers have been chasing him for a number of years, but has never advanced any further. It's implied he's responsible for recruiting and training most of the [[spoiler: female]] high ranking officers in the army.

* At the end of last season's ''{{Bones}}'' Booth (a former Army Ranger sharpshooter) was reactivated and went to Afganistan to train snipers.

# He has a reputation of a MilitaryMaverick who wouldn't make a very good commander (at least, in his superiors' eyes).

* Commodore Tolwyn in ''[[{{Series/Wing Commander}} Wing Commander Academy]]'', due to his being ReassignedToAntarctica.

* In ''TopGun'' the flight instructors at the titular school are all highly experienced veteran pilots. At the end of the movie Maverick suggests that he might want to become an instructor himself.

* Commodore Tolwyn in ''WingCommanderAcademy'', due to his being ReassignedToAntarctica.

* Jack Bartlett from ''AceCombat 5'' is Type 1: because of his actions during the Belkan War, his superiors mistrust him without any proof, so he is stuck teaching "nuggets" on Sand Island. Gets to shine late in the game when [[spoiler:he escapes a squadron of fighters with precious cargo on board a ''transport plane'' (though, to be fair, you assist him) and then pulls off an AirstrikeImpossible like your own team ''on his own'']].
** Also, an inversion in ''Ace Combat Zero'': legendary ace Dietrich Kellermann, who became an instructor after retirement, is sent back to the frontlines during the Belkan War to boost the Belkans' morale.

* Nanoha Takamachi in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha {{StrikerS}}'' is the second type. Notable in that she is already a veteran at the [[ImprobableAge age of 19]] due to having been on the job [[ChildSoldiers from the age of 9]].

* In ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Space Marines codex mentions the Ultramarines sergeant Tellion, who stayed a sergeant to teach new recruits.

[[folder:Manga and Anime]]
* Nanoha Takamachi in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha {{StrikerS}}'' is the second type. Notable in that she is already a veteran at the [[ImprobableAge age of 19]] due to having been on the job [[ChildSoldiers from the age of 9]].
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[[folder:Real Life]]
* TruthInTelevision. During WWII, the Allies would pull their best aces out of combat and send them back to train new pilots. This served two purposes: it kept famous aces from being killed in combat, thus avoiding the blow to morale that it would cause, and it allowed new trainees to benefit from the aces' vastly greater experience, making them better pilots. It must have been a great incentive for pilots to excel, aka "Make Ace, get excused from combat sooner." Notably, Japan did ''not'' bring their aces out of combat (the idea being that they should stay where they could do the most damage against the enemy), and they were almost all killed eventually -- and the quality of Japanese pilots took a sharp downturn near the end of the war. This is also why the best known Axis aces had higher kill counts than their Allied counterparts.

* TruthInTelevision. During WWII, the Allies would pull their best aces out of combat and send them back to train new pilots. This served two purposes: it kept famous aces from being killed in combat, thus avoiding the blow to morale that it would cause, and it allowed new trainees to benefit from the aces' vastly greater experience, making them better pilots. Notably, Japan did ''not'' bring their aces out of combat (the idea being that they should stay where they could do the most damage against the enemy), and they were almost all killed eventually -- and the quality of Japanese pilots took a sharp downturn near the end of the war. This is also why the best known Axis aces had higher kill counts than their Allied counterparts.

* TruthInTelevision. During WWII, the Allies would pull their best aces out of combat and send them back to train new pilots. This served two purposes: it kept famous aces from being killed in combat, this avoiding the blow to morale that it would cause, and it allowed new trainees to benefit from the aces' vastly greater experience, making them better pilots. Notably, Japan did ''not'' bring their aces out of combat (the idea being that they should stay where they could do the most damage against the enemy), and they were almost all killed eventually -- and the quality of Japanese pilots took a sharp downturn near the end of the war.

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[[folder:Literature]]
* TerryPratchett has Sergeant Jackrum of the Borogravian army in Monstrous Regiment. He [[spoiler:or indeed, she]] has been in the army so long that retirement papers have been chasing him for a number of years, but has never advanced any further. It's implied he's responsible for recruiting and training most of the [[spoiler: female]] high ranking officers in the army.