25th General Hospital: Courage and Skill in World War II

During the summer of 1941, the U.S. Army invited the University of Cincinnati to organize the 25th General Hospital to serve as a major medical facility in the European theater. More than 600 physicians, surgeons, nurses, and enlisted men served the 25th with distinction in England, France, and Belgium.

From the journal of Barbara (Lincoln) Ashbaugh

The UC Libraries are the repository of the 25th’s history and house most of the related documents and artifacts in the Henry R. Winkler Center for the History of the Health Professions, a medical archive, library, and exhibit facility located in the Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library. As memories fade and veterans of this era dwindle, it is important to preserve their legacy and relate their accomplishments to the contributions made by military medical personnel today.

In 2011, the Libraries will celebrate the 25th’s legacy with several programs.

• An exhibit in the Winkler Center’s Stanley J. Lucas Board Room recounts the unit’s history with a colorful and personal perspective provided by the photographs and memoirs of Barbara (Lincoln) Ashbaugh, a psychiatric social worker who served in the 25th. The exhibit runs through June 30 and will be expanded and viewable on the Winkler Center’s website. Stay tuned for a May announcement!
• Oral histories with surviving members of the 25th will be recorded for the American Folklife Center’s Veterans History Project.
• Dr. Jean Stevenson’s “Path to War,” a first-hand account of the experiences of the 25th filmed in the European theater, will be restored.
• On May 5, at 4:30 p.m., the Winkler Center’s annual Cecil Striker Society lecture featured eminent military and medical historian Dale Smith, PhD, senior vice president, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, whose research illuminated the 25th’s history from a new perspective. Jay Johannigman, MD, professor of surgery at UC and veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan conficts, also discussed advances in military medicine and their broad impact.

Winkler Center partners in presenting these programs included the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, the Institute for Military Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; and the Thank You Foundation. Project advisors were: Daniel Hurley, director of Leadership Cincinnati and local historian; Colonel (Dr.) Jay Johannigman, USAFR, MC, FS; LCDR (Dr.) John J. McDonough, MC, USNR; Major (Dr.) Brad Wenstrup, USA Reserve; and Colonel (Dr.) Creighton B. Wright, MC, USA (retired). These programs were supported by a gift from COL (IL) J. N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Ret.), president & CEO, Tawani Enterprises, Inc., founder & chair, Pritzker Military Library, and founder & president, Tawani Foundation.

For updates on these events, visit the Winkler Center’s website or call the Center at (513) 558-5120.

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