Rand & Buehler at Camp Travis Texas 1918

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Camp Travis (San Antonio, Texas)  was established in July 1917 as one of sixteen National Army Camps in preparation for U.S. involvement in World War I. The camp, which had a capacity of just under 43,000 men, was set up to train the 90th “Tough ‘Ombres” Infantry Division. Colonel (Dr.) Irving W. Rand reported as the commanding officer of the Base Hospital at Camp Travis in January 1918, "in the throes of a mumps and measles epidemic"; the Spanish Flu pandemic struck the Camp in October 1918.  Colonel Rand had served as a medical officer in the Philippines, China, and at many U.S. Army bases

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Major (Dr.) Eugene Buehler was a prominent Indianapolis physician, public health secretary, and medical officer in both the Spanish American War and World War I. Dr. Buehler was an assistant surgeon with the 160th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish American War, and served in Cuba during the winter of 1899. In 1904, he was appointed the Secretary of the Indianapolis Board of Public Health, and served that position until 1910. ​Buehler volunteered to join the WW1 Army Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) in September 1917, and was named the Camp Sanitary Inspector at Camp Travis (San Antonio, Texas) in March 1918. 

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The history of the Dr. Rand, Dr. Buehler, and the Base Hospital are documented in the 1918 book, "Camp Travis And Its Part in the World War"; a PDF copy can be downloaded at:  https://archive.org/details/camptravisitspar00camprich/mode/2up

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