‘Good morning, Captain Standish. What shall we study today?’
‘How about some Clausewitz?’
‘An excellent choice. Carl von Clausewitz stands at the intersection of history and philosophy. He connects the era of cabinet wars to the age of nationalism. And he played a big role in the rebuilding of American military power in the late twentieth century, and, in particular, the Quantico Renaissance.’
‘Well, I know a little about the last thing you mentioned. In fact, I have a copy of Warfighting in my pocket.’
‘Splendid. You’re off to a good start. Speaking of starts, how much experience do you have with works by, or about, the famous Philosopher of War?’
‘Well, one day, on float, I tried to read On War. I’m afraid that I didn’t get very far.’
‘That, I am told, has happened to a lot of people. Shall I propose a different path?’
‘Please.’
‘Have you ever seen The Duellists? It’s a classic film, with lots of terrific fight scenes.’
‘No, but I think that I would like it.’
‘Then, why don’t you go watch it? Once you’ve done that, and thought about it for a bit, we can use it as an on-ramp to the wild and wonderful world of Carl von Clausewitz.’
‘I’ll do that. In the mean time, keep your servers cool!’
‘Dankeschön, Herr Hauptmann. Aufwiederklicken.’
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