Skeeter Beaters and the American Dream

The men and women of the US Navy Malaria Control Units who served throughout World War II, changed the outcome of that war against against an enemy causing 5 times more casulaties than combat - the Anopheles Mosquito and Malaria. Their innovation and hard work resulted in techniques for tracking and destroying the insects that spread malaria. After the war, it was these men and women who were responsible for eradicating malaria throughout the United States in the 1950s. So successful were they that the veterans of these early Malaria Control Units evolved into what is today the Center for Disease Control – the CDC. Nicknamed the Skeeter Beaters – the Navy’s malaria control units, represent the American Dream – creating a lasting legacy that has truly impacted the world.