Are Military Professionals Bound by a 'Higher' Moral Standard?

Its been a commonplace for a very long time that military professionals are held to a higher moral standard. Its certainly part of the image some in the larger society have of the profession. The sentiment is especially prevalent inside the military. The military establishment represents itself as embracing higher expectations, even if there are occasional perhaps inevitable moral failures. There are codes and public espousals of a special moral commitment. Commanders exhort their troops to moral goodness and chastise them when they fall short. Military education is full of courses on professional ethics. Indeed, from the top down, part of the background noise of professional military life are these higher expectations, and a belief that somehow, this line of work is one shot through with a special moral status, special moral problems, and special moral demands.