Sustaining the theme of "Living the Army Ethic," the Sergeant Major of the Army’s professional development forum put boots on the ground by acknowledging the core of the profession of arms: "How and why we fight."Addressing a full house of sergeants major and senior and junior non-commissioned officers at the 2014 Annual Meeting and Exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army, Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III reiterated what he termed the Army "chief [of staff’s] number one priority: communicating the Army ethic."Chandler put the onus on the audience to actively participate and produce an outcome to bring back to their troops and fellow soldiers.Featured speaker Shannon French cited "the crucible of the Army Ethic [and what it] does for us. If you don’t feel it, you’re not living it."French, author of "Code of the Warrior: Exploring Values Past and Present" posed – and ultimately elicited answers to – the question: Why do warriors need a code?Noting that a warrior code is as ancient as war itself, French cited the ethical and philosophical questions that motivate the soldier on the battlefield and the psychological questions the soldier goes through "in the moment."She said, "In order to do the right thing when your life is at stake or [the lives] of fellow soldiers," the soldier must understand and acknowledge the kinds of internal pressures one experiences when facing death as well as the immediate decision to kill."The code of warrior is not written on the outside," French said.Adding, "Warrior codes throughout history are about all of us protecting one another. It’s about the [chosen] warrior identity. The warrior codes define a soldier’s humanity. Warrior cultures hold their brethren to higher standards than [those of] the civilian world."Let us decide where those lines are, because an authentic code is drawn from making a choice."If the lines are fuzzy they will not serve their purpose, she said. Indeed, she acknowledged "the damage from violating the codes is profound."Soldiers who "betray what’s right" are most severely affected, suffering "a moral injury to the soul."The warrior code of ethics, she said, "is about how you judge yourself and others with whom you fight. If you cross those lines [in battle] it’s very hard to return to who you are" outside the battlefield."You can’t throw the lines out but you must decide based on context."If French offered any words of advice, they were: "When you don’t know what to do, do the right thing … Practical adjustments can be made in the conduct of war, but some options must always be off the table."Codes take a holistic view of the warrior. Everything counts; the warrior is never ‘off the clock.’ The code must be linked to one’s fundamental identity."