ABSTRACT
The CAF Chief of Land Staff issued its guidance on ethics in operations in the most recent publication on the code of conduct in 2009, entitled Duty with Discernment. 'Discourse analysis' in the context of the study of testimonies allowed identifying, interpreting, recognizing, and appreciating the impact of war on soldiers, more precisely, on soldiers 'identities', as opposed to 'identity'. The 'deconstruction' impact of the experience of war has allowed for the better understanding of the perception that military members have of themselves, of their roles, and of their identity. Group cohesion becomes second nature and this ensures survival in a situation which is no longer simulated, where the environment is chaotic and controlled by a possibly merciless enemy with no respect for legal or ethical constraints on behaviour in wartime. The first Occidental representation of the warrior insisted on the shield as being the most important military asset.
