 The story of America's Navy is in many ways the story of America. Triumphs and tragedies, heroes and villains. And it is a story that began a long time ago. In 1800, French privateers were preying on American shipping. So when the men of USS Constitution discovered the French Corvette sandwich at Porto Plata in the Dominican Republic, they set a plan reminiscent of the Trojan horse. Captain Silas Talbot ordered 90 sailors and marines into a civilian merchant sloop they had just seized. With the armed attachment hidden below deck, the sloop made its way unchallenged into the harbor. Within minutes, the Americans were in control of the French Corvette, but in order to take their prize, they had to neutralize the fort guarding the harbor. So Captain Daniel Karmic led his marines ashore. They entered the fort and spiked the cannon before the enemy had time to prepare a defense. By sundown, sandwich was ready to sail, this time under American colors. During the Mexican war, sailors and marines engaged in action on the west coast of America. Successful landings were made at San Francisco, Monterey and San Diego. But Los Angeles was a different matter. 350 sailors and marines stormed ashore and took the city on August 6th, 1846. Marine Captain Archibald Gillespie and a garrison of 59 men were ordered to hold the city. When the Spanish realized how small the garrison was, they attacked. Outnumbered 10 to 1, Gillespie and his men melted down lead pipes for grapeshaw and held off the attackers for 7 days. Finally, on September 30th, Gillespie was forced to surrender. But 3 months later, Los Angeles was retaken and Gillespie raised the same flag over the city he had lowered that September. Control of California was finally settled for good. By the 1920s, Navy Marine Corps leaders saw the need to improve the tactics of amphibious assaults, the most difficult of all wartime operations. The challenge called for redefining the Navy Marine Corps relationship. In December of 1933, the Navy changed the designation Marine Corps Expeditionary Force to Fleet Marine Force. Throughout the 30s, both branches worked together to improve tactics, communication, and equipment design. They studied what went wrong at the Gallipoli Landing during World War I and what went right at the Guantanamo Landing in the Spanish-American War. In 1938, FTP-167 Landing Operations Doctrine U.S. Navy was issued. It incorporated infantry, aviation, engineering, and artillery into a protocol that would help win World War II. In early 1966, Viet Cong forces attacked two merchant ships near Saigon. In response, U.S. Navy and Marine forces launched Operation Jax Day. On March 26th, an amphibious assault struck enemy strongholds on the Long Town Peninsula. Five days later, an 18-boat convoy entered the Van Sam River. Working with carrier-based air cover, the boats penetrated deep into the swamps that harbored enemy arms factories and training camps. The boat team fought off enemy bands along the shoreline, then landed marines in the mangrove swamp. Working together from water and land, the team killed 63 enemy and destroyed three base complexes. Further, the operation showed the effective penetration of sea power deep into the heart of an enemy's land-based haven. The story of America's Navy continues today, whether below, on, or above the seas. It is globally positioned to secure our homeland and citizens from attack and to advance our interests around the world.