On Aug. 5, 1864, Union Adm. David Farragut watched one of his ironclad vessels sink after striking a torpedo in the heavily mined Mobile Bay, Ala. The other Union ship captains didn’t want to proceed—they thought the Confederates had made it impossible to get through the torpedo-filled waters.
That was when Farragut roared out the order that made him a famous hero, “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” The USS Hartford, with Farragut lashed to the rigging, sailed through the minefield with the other ships following. They quickly outmaneuvered or wrecked the Confederate ships waiting for them and Farragut was soon the victor. It was a crucial triumph that came at an important time for the Union cause, capturing a key Confederate port. And it was all because Farragut was fearless, decisive, and willing to risk himself and the men under his command for a praiseworthy goal.
During the Civil War, America faced its bloodiest conflict and its greatest domestic crisis, triggered by the slavery debate. Nowadays, we are facing multiple genocidal dictatorships that might not kill as many of our people—although they still do murder Americans—but that do certainly infiltrate our institutions, indoctrinate our young people, and steal our industry and technology. China and Iran are probably the worst examples of this, although we would also have to mention Russia, Qatar, North Korea, and Gaza’s leaders to lesser degrees.
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American leadership now in 2026 needs to be just as fearless, decisive, and clearsighted as Farragut was back in 1864. He understood the necessity of what he had to do. The most obvious example of how we can apply the Farragut spirit now is in our ongoing conflict with the genocidal Iranian regime, which is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
For 47 years, the ayatollahs have been killing Americans. Just this year, they killed 18 American troops, and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, according to a Wednesday report from Israeli media, “As long as the United States and Israel possess nuclear weapons, we will continue working on them for our national security. If they disarm, we will disarm.” This comes just after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei threatened the “Great Satan” America with “unforgettable lessons.”
It is obvious that the Iranian regime is a major national security threat, especially since it has so many connections to our other enemies, including in China. We cannot afford to keep putting off the job of destroying the regime for another generation. Because when we finally get to the generation that is willing to take on the problem, it might be too late.
For too many decades, America has failed to win wars not because our troops aren’t brave or our weapons are inferior or our enemy is too strong, but because the men in charge of decision-making have refused to demand nothing less than unconditional surrender from the enemy or destruction. As Adm. Farragut would say, “Damn the terrorists, full speed ahead.”
