The scene was reminiscent of many amphibious operations of World War II. On the morning of March 8, 1965, with a light mist reducing visibility, elements of 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade landed on a sandy beach near Da Nang, South Vietnam. Wading ashore with their gear, they encountered reporters, photographers, the mayor of Da Nang, and their commander, Brigadier General Frederick J. Karch, whom local school girls had laden with garlands in celebration of the occasion. A cordial welcome, it belied the presence of Viet Cong guerrillas a few miles away. Climbing into waiting trucks, the Marines were transported to the nearby American air base to take up security duties. The vanguard of a larger U.S. presence yet to come, these Marines were the first American combat troops to arrive in Vietnam. "Americanization” of the Vietnam War had begun. It was a policy the Joint Chiefs of Staff had helped to shape, but not one that gave them much satisfaction or sense of confidence. The war in Vietnam was entering a new phase, and with it came growing uncertainty among the JCS whether they would have the tools and resources at their disposal to make that policy succeed.