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Posted by Erik Rupard on February 1st, 2008
All of this falls into the “rumor mill” category, but here goes:
I have mentioned in a prior post that my eventual location in Iraq is currently up in the air. That remains true and perhaps even more so. Word is going around that some shifts are taking place, which are moving some doctors out of certain areas which are seeing less action, and into posts which are busier. This, of course, makes perfect sense, but is not always how things have worked in the Army (surprise!). It is almost universal among military physicians that we would rather be deployed to an area where we are actually helping real soldiers, than to be deployed in an area in which we are not needed (even if the quality of life there is more comfortable).
In short, when I’m in a plane many months from now, flying back over the Atlantic, towards my beloved home, I’d like to feel that I made a real, measurable (even if small) difference in improving the Iraqi situation.
More to follow…
February 2nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
Eric,
Good to catch up on what’s going on with your career and family. I miss our team teaching in Sunday School in Maryland, and home teaching your family. As for Iraq, nothing fun about the idea of being away from family, but if I can identify one plus of being at a “base #2″, it’s that you’ll have an opportunity to see and do things you’ve never done before. There’s nothing more rewarding that working right with the troops, being the staff for a battalion or brigade commander, and assisting with making decisions that impact people’s lives in combat. It’s a good way to feel that you’re making a quality difference in the world, and I know that at least now, when I walk away from the army (some day), I’ll feel good that I went “over” and did my job, instead of hiding away in a hospital while others went.