Ze old style of writing, theoretical nature, and translation from older German don't help make it a page turner, lol.
Right. I always think people who claim to actually enjoy it, just watch Crimson Tide, and believe von Clauswitz often is the topic of conversation in the wardroom.
Here's the real topic of coversation.... after watching a little Family Guy on DVD, back in 2006 or 2007.
Commanding Officer of USCGC Vigorous (CO): So Mr. LITS, what's that mean? Are they saying John Travolta's a homosexual?
LITS: Captain, I'm not really sure what that meant.
CO: Well, it seemed like they were implying he's gay. Why is that Mr. LITS?
LITS: Captain, honestly, I only understand about half of the jokes on Family Guy. Everything else goes right over my head.
CO: Oh, that's very interesting Mr. LITS.
That was the last time we watched Family Guy in the wardroom. Not because it was forbidden, but because you could old take so much of the captain's questions. And because honestly, when it came to Family Guy, I'm not entirely sure I even got half of the jokes.
This was the same captain who, as we put in the 1980s "The Thing" with Kurt Russell, he said, before the movie even started, "Oh this isn't as good as the first one." And when I asked if he had seen the first one (I hadn't even realized there was a version before Russell (there has been one since) he told me he never actually saw the first one, but was sure it was better. That captain was a Citadel grad, took a commission in the Navy, ended his short time in the Navy, road around on a motorcycle, enlisted in the Coast Guard and immediately went to OCS. He had a way of talking in circles, so you could never get away.... you would realize he was starting his story all over again, but always too late to make a move. He was not a good commanding officer.
And we never talked von Clauswitz.