Invasion!

Page Field was invaded in May of 1943. But not by enemy soldiers. The enemy, in this instance, bore the Latin name of peticulosus humainus, more commonly known as the bed bug. "A steam chamber was set up and all bed clothing, equipment and hutments were thoroughly steamed, scrubbed and made thoroughly sanitary," according to the History.

The battle of the bedbugs lasted about two weeks and by this time, the soldiers had still another problem to face--dive-bombing mosquitoes.

Any person not sleeping under a mosquito net or having to work after sundown was seriously affected. The Medical Corps attacked the problem, started a drainage program, issued mosquito repellent and gave instructions on the care and use of the mosquito net

A boost to the morale came in late January of 1944 in the form of a visit by the famous boxer Max Baer who was now a sergeant in the Army. He arrived to referee local boxing matches and to look over the physical training program at the base. On January 29, baseball great Leo Durocher and movie comedian Danny Kaye "motored over from Miami" where they'd been appearing at the Homestead base.

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