Episode two of the “Invisible Excellence” podcast series, which chronicles the WWI service of Council Bluffs “Unit K," recounts events such as these: an early attempt to break up Unit K; its training and observation period with the British military; at one point, a quartet of the officers finding that the rest of the group had been transferred ahead without them (really); in Paris, the full integration of Unit K’s roster into Mobile One; and preparation of the hospital’s personnel and inventory for its first full set-up and deployment there in mid-1918.

“Unit K” was a groundbreaking group of self-organized area residents which formed the nucleus of “Mobile One,” arguably the first fully mobile military hospital in U.S. history.  

Guest is Brian Mainwaring, writer/author/researcher.

We would appreciate your feedback and comments.  You can contact us via email at [email protected].

It was one of the deadliest conflicts of all time-- new weaponry resulted in a scale and severity of injuries that was unprecedented.  And the trauma of transporting these severely wounded to base hospitals became the weak link in the treatment chain.  Relief came in the form of a medical unit from over 4,500 miles away; Mobile Hospital #1, aka Unit K, the Council Bluffs Unit, commanded by a former Council Bluffs mayor.  Almost as astonishing as the novel concept of bringing care to the wounded on the battlefield was, the fact this milestone of military medicine pioneered by local doctors, nurses and support staff is today virtually unknown to Council Bluffs residents is even more surprising.

This podcast is first in a series called “Invisible Excellence,” which will explore the history of this remarkable unit.  Our guest is local writer and researcher, Brian Mainwaring.  Comments, questions, or information about WWI medicine from your family lore are all encouraged.  You can contact us at [email protected].

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following:

Historical Society of Pottawattamie County

Jim McMullen and Kandis Kole-Skank of the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society

Dr. David Holcomb 

Dr. James Knott

The reference department at the Council Bluffs Public Library

References for more information:

"Hospital No. 1 Won War Cross," Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, July 26, 1936

"Glimpsing Modernity: Military Medicine in WWI," Chapter Five, by WIlliam Montgomery, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016

"Unit K the First MASH Unit," Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, May 20, 2016

"Iowa Hospital Corps Moved with WWI," Omaha World Herald, July 2, 2017

"Brief Hospital of Mobile Hospital No. 1," Journal of the Iowa State Medical Association, April 1920

"One Hundred Years of Iowa Medicine," Iowa State Medical Association, 1950

"The Great War: One Medic's Diary," Bob Reilly, Creighton University Magazine, Summer, 2001

"Joseph Marshall Flint," Samuel Clark Harvey, Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine , March, 1945

In this episode podcast host Richard Warner looks at the distribution of Council Bluffs' squirrel population, why they are black, how rare they are, some of the local traditions and laws regarding them, and how the Pottawattamie County jail ended up with that name.  Comments and questions are welcome!  You can reach us via email at [email protected].

Questions and comments are always welcome.  Here’s link: https://www.thehistoricalsociety.org/contact-us.html

This episode was recorded March 5, 2023 at Prairie Crossing Winery https://www.prairiecrossingwine.com.  The winery is located near Treynor, Iowa, just south of state highway 92.

In the episode Mr. Gray makes reference to the Grape Growers Association and its role in making southwest Iowa a strong force in in the grape industry.  You can find some photos of Prairie Crossing Winery and a brief history of the Association at https://sites.google.com/thehistoricalsociety.org/grape-growers/home.

Comments and questions are always welcome.  Contact the Historical Society at [email protected].  If you are interested in Council Bluffs history be sure to check our our local history videos.  Search for Council Bluffs Revealed in the YouTube search bar.  The Society also hosts a Facebook page called Council Bluffs Revealed.

Kat Slaughter is Museums Director for the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County.  She studied at the University of Wyoming, graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree of History and Anthropology with an emphasis in museum studies.   Troy Stolp holds a BA from Iowa State University in Anthropology and Religious Studies, a BA from Buena Vista University in History, and an MA from UNO in History.  Troy is a teacher at Lewis Central.

The book "Lost Restaurants of Omaha" is available at The Bookworm at 2501 S. 90th in Omaha as well as Barnes & Noble at Oak View.

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Kanesville Kollectibles is located at 530 South 4th Street in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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