"AM READY." - The Advanced Base Brigade, Woodrow Wilson, and Vera Cruz
"AM READY." THE ADVANCED BASE BRIGADE, WOODROW WILSON, AND VERA CRUZ John S. Naylor – February 15, 2026 INTRODUCTION The U.S. landing and occupation of the Mexican port of Vera Cruz [2] in April 1914 is often lumped in as one of the “small wars” or “banana wars” framed by U.S. foreign policy in Latin America in the 20 th century. This fails to account for a fundamental difference in the intervention; Woodrow Wilson was not looking to protect "American interests" — businesses and investments in Mexico — as much as he was looking to impose his views in regards to freedom and democracy, on a country already embroiled in a civil war. The landing is often overlooked because it was a minor military operation in comparison to the size and gravity of the Great War. While directionally accurate, this description fails to consider how it demonstrated a fundamental change in the capabilities of U.S. naval power, and as such was a milestone in the history of the Marine Corps....