ABSTRACT
What distinguishes the military profession as a profession? All professions use intellectual achievement and learning, and all professions render service. The profession of arms is the ultimate in each of these respects, involving academic learning in several disciplines, and the dedication of both body and soul in service to the public. The profession is unique in that the aspiration toward its most salient activity, killing, would disqualify the aspirant from membership in it. All professions have a code of conduct, but the military has, in addition, a complex, in some ways convoluted, moral arena that its members must navigate. These are the points that will be developed in this chapter.
