This study examines one possible socio-cultural explanation for the events which took place in Somalia in early 1993, asking to what extent military culture (particularly the culture of the Canadian Airborne Regiment) affected the behaviour of Canadian soldiers there. The study methodology included examination of visual and written records as well as extensive interviews with Canadian Forces personnel involved in those events. The study is organized into sections reflecting the factors affecting the events discussed: contradictions within the military establishment, the culture and organization of the Airborne combat unit, and the situational contingencies that arose from the external environment in Somalia (physical, social, and cultural).

Their entries include concise biographies from James Wolfe to Louis Riel to Rick Hillier; key military-political issues like the conscription crises, war finance, and Canada-US relations; lesser-known conflicts such as the Pig War and the Aroostook War; and more recent issues facing the Canadian Forces, including sexual harassment and post-traumatic stress disorder. We see Canada through an international lens as a war fighter and a peacekeeper-and as a participant in some darker moments.