Drs. Irving Rand & Eugene Buehler Overview - 1
A Tale of 2 WW1 Camp Travis Doctors & their Watches: United after 100 Years!
Colonel (Dr.) Irving W. Rand reported as the Commanding Officer of the Base Hospital at Camp Travis (San Antonio, Texas) in January 1918 "in the throes of a mumps and measles epidemic".
Major (Dr.) Eugene Buehler joined him as the Camp Travis Sanitary Inspector in March 1918, based on his extensive experience in public health administration.
The photo below from the 1918 Camp Travis Army yearbook shows Col Rand & Maj Buehler together:
Uniting their Watches after 100 Years....
I purchased Dr. Buehler's Illinois watch in 2012. During his distinguished career, Eugene Buehler served as a doctor during the Spanish-American War; the Public Health Commissioner of Indianapolis; and head of Sanitation at Camp Travis Tx.
Four years later in 2016, I saw Dr. Rand's watch up for auction on eBay. I saw its "Camp Travis" inscription -- and later realized that's where Eugene Buehler was also stationed. During my research, I purchased a copy of the "1918 Camp Travis" Army yearbook -- and found a photo with both of them sitting in the same row.
Eureka! Drs. Buehler & Rand were both professional associates and friends -- and, after 100 years, their stories and their watches were re-united....
