Yeah, but not as exclusively. I remember being disappointed when I got to High School and everyone still looked like kids and not the 30+ year olds from Grease and Welcome Back, Kotter. It seems like they tend to have younger actors playing high school students nowadays.
I’ve never served in the armed forces, so this is based on hearsay. My understanding is that, in theory, an officer could order someone of lower rank to do something like that. However, in practice, an officer very likely would not unless the order clearly fit into his/her domain of responsibility/mission.
My buddy was a JAG in the Air Force. When I visited him on base, I’d beg him(*) to order some random enlisted person walking by to “drop and give me 20!” Order him to count off the pushups, and then yell, “I can’t hear you!!” My friend said that if he did something like that, he’d get major sh!t from the victim’s commanding officer. I.e., not a good idea if you want to advance yourself in rank, and otherwise have a reputation as a solid professional officer.
(*) Not seriously