You hear this all the time..soldier first, blah second.
I agree with the sentiment. In times of crisis you should have the skills and be prepared to defend yourself, use a personal weapon etc. Hopefully it should never come to that.
In reality though, most personnel do not specialise in soldiering. Annual CCS does not ground people well enough to be a professional soldier, however professional training allows them to carry out their specialisation with the required skill. I mean, in reality, I reckon a fair few paper pushers would be more of a hindrance in a field type environment than a help.