Hendrix's Eccentric Commentary

6/19/2026

As I read and listen to the commentary about the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, I am told, over and over again, that the US military has done huge damage to Iran and that the Iranian military has been severely degraded.  

As I repeatedly hear this I cannot help but think about a rather famous anecdote that is to be found, if I remember correctly, in Colonel Harry Summer’s book about the Vietnam war _On Strategy_.  According to Colonel Summer he was at one of the peace conferences and talking to a North Vietnamese general.  Colonel Summer, feeling rather defensive, said to this North Vietnamese general: “You know, you never defeated us on the battlefield.”  According to Colonel Summer’s the North Vietnamese general replied:  “That may be true, but it is also irrelevant.”

I cannot help but think that this is true, not just about the US involvement in Vietnam, but about our war with Iran, and in fact most of the military adventures the United States has become involved in since World War II.  We have invested huge amounts of blood, treasure, and national attention in our military, which we are repeatedly assured is the best, most powerful, most effective, most pick your superlative on the planet.  Arguably, it has been a powerful deterrent. Yet it very seldom brings us the results that we want when we actually try to use it.