Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that Ive really...Fellows-In-Arms
Posted by Erik Rupard on May 7th, 2008
Been an eventful couple of days in the ol’ dust bowl.
I wrote in my last (real) post about my trip to the camp of Turkish national Mr K. He came to the clinic on Monday to bring another worker by, and invited us to eat some fresh fish around a fire next weekend, which will be great. Any and all changes to the norm are most welcome here in Al Asad, where every day is groundhog day. A few e-mailers asked me for more info about Mr K, so here’s what I can tell you. He is born/raised in Turkey, and runs a construction team which lays down new roads and resurfaces old ones. Mr K’s crew actually spends most of their daylight hours off-post, building roads in areas of the Anbar province near Al Asad. Although there has been less violence in this part of the country for the past year, it was actually one of the most dangerous areas a couple of years ago, and there are plenty insurgent-types in the area still. Mr K has lost workers to IED blasts, and the work they do, even today, is done under heavy protection. The entire crew sleeps on post every night for their own safety. I’ll have a bit of one-on-one time with Mr. K when we get together again next week, and am excited to hear some of his personal story.
Due to some personnel issues which have arisen in our company (the 581st Area Support Medical Company, which is spread out over a few bases here in Iraq), the other health care provider, nurse practitioner LTC Bullock-Price, is right now on a plane, headed to another post. Thus, I have been a “lone man” in the clinic for the past few days, with my NP and my optometrist both away. That means that I saw every single patient in the clinic, including the eye patients (though I deferred everything on the latter except for the acute cases). LTC’s replacement will be a CPT from another post, who may be here by Friday (I hope), or possibly not until next week. We shall see.
During this period of transition, our Company Commander (CPT Allen) came up to see us, and was accompanied by my good friend MAJ Tanya Wroblewski. Tanya went through fellowship training with me at Walter Reed, along with another Army fellow (Tony Fadell, who has had a few cameos in this blog), and a Navy fellow (Colleen Dorrance). Fellowship is a singularly miserable and overwhelmingly busy three years, and the four of us spent most of our waking hours in the company of each other every day from July 2002 through June 2004. In that kind of situation, you end up either loving or hating those who are thrust into the foxhole with you. I am thankful to say that we all got along beautifully, and were there for each other during the entirety of that grueling experience. Colleen, Tony, and Tanya all turned out to be people of great integrity and genuine selflessness, and this combined to make the experience tolerable for all of us, as we made sacrifices for one another whenever necessary. I honestly cannot remember a single unkind word that passed between any of us, and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for each of those three great people.
Seeing Tanya was a nice trip down memory lane, and she updated me on all the happenings at WallyWorld. Last night, 1LT Coleman and I took Tanya and CPT Allen to the airport, and saw them off, as they headed back from whence they had come. When getting ready to board the plane, Tanya readied her body armour, and lifted her overstuffed military backpack. I noticed a small canvas pouch attached to the bottom of the pack, and asked her about it. She unzipped it and opened it up for each of us to see, saying something about the great importance of the items in that pouch. Looking in, I saw thread and knitting needles. When I have down time in an airport, I am usually reaching for the laptop or a newspaper, but MAJ Tanya Wroblewski is knitting, making things for her kids. That tells you a lot about the kind of person she is: a mom first, with “soldier/doctor” coming in pretty far afterwards. Tanya has two months left in country, and is counting down the days when she’ll be able to see her husband and two young kids (toddler and infant) again. Yet another reminder for me that the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines out here are more than camo-wearing, gun-toting, Humvee-riding abstractions for politicians to talk about, but real, actual human beings, each with a different story, and each with specific, often painful sacrifices he/she is making to be here.
May 7th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Hey Uncle E! You look sweet in those threads man! If you get the time check out the album “Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)” by Cloud Cult. It’s insane! I’ve never really listened to anything quite like it. Its indie-pop with a twist of classical. The strings and percussion are amazing! Check out the song “When Water Comes To Life” And this is not just for Uncle Erik-You all should try it!
May 7th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Hey, Erik,
That thread (with the knitting needles) is called yarn! Tanya sounds like a great gal. You are lucky to have such wonderful friends, cherish them. Love, Mom
May 7th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Hey E; How about that latest Idol elimination!? Aimee does a mean Jason Castro et al,(hilarious!) She should have her own show.
Tonight we pulled the van out of the garage, so that Maddy and Drew could put on their taps and do “Forget about the Boy” from “Millie” while we all sat on the brick steps and watched and clapped. It was still great. I even pointed the headlights inward like spots. Gracie kept demanding, “Again!”
Aimee leaves tomorrow so we’ll obviously do the Atlanta airport run which isn’t quite as fun when you’re dropping family off.
I’m already sad about saying goodbye but we’re expecting a new wave of visitors on Friday evening as you know so there’s no time for crying. I’ll miss them-the week flew by. What I would give to sit back with a Sonic Lemon-berry Slush and watch FNL’s with you this weekend. Pardon my whining, but it’s just one of those moments when I realize how obnoxiously this all stinks.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I am saving the FNLs for when I get back–we’ll do a marathon of the entire season, stopping only to eat, pee, and avoid couchsores.
Jason needs to go, right away. He’s got this much talent: |–|
Speaking of Millie, I have not yet seen it. Would be great if someone could round me up a copy…
May 8th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Cool. I’m looking forward to an entire season. That’s a fantastic series. Sadly, I haven’t watched one episode since you’ve been gone.
You haven’t seen AI? I keep forgetting about AFN programming. Sorry–just hold that thought.
re; Millie…..Will do ASAP. Sorry for the delay.
I just keep forgetting to ask Maddy if she can dub it over digitally to disc. Will do Boo.
I finally took the van to get new tires today. I guess it was a good thing I did. TOYOS? The guys at Marc Younts looked at me as if to say, “I can’t believe you walked through that door in one piece- driving around in a WOMD and all.” I do feel better about driving to Atlanta though. Something wasn’t feeling quite right but the work turned out to be more expensive than we’d hoped. They tried to talk me into getting 4 new ones but I said I couldn’t make such an expensive decision w/o consulting you. I’ll email the particulars. Your dad can back me up…right Dad R? (a little back up would be nice)
I’m leaving in a bit so you can call my cell if you get a chance. If not, talk later.
Love you.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
You’re so spoiled Erik!
How does it really feel to be thus loved?
Hi Tanya; I hope you’re dealing well with your deployment and the cruddiness of being away from your kids. Thanks for visiting with Erik this week and for your sacrifice over there. He said it was like a little ray of WRAMC just seeing you. I can’t pass a sign for Aiken w/o thinking about you(or at least about your mom ). Take care out there.
Hi Brendan and congrats on your staff position at WRAMC (since I haven’t seen you since you and Erik both made Major) Thanks for sending my husband some gourmet carbs. Did you guys ever settle your heady debate about Universal oxygen loss? One of the highlights of my life was watching two unbending intellectuals argue that around a bonfire in Phoenix. Are there any other conferences out there, because I know we’d be ‘in’.
And speaking of happy packages, I just sent mom and dad R a cool little something in the mail…So be on the lookout guys!
May 10th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Lorri, I’m backing you up all the way to the moon, sun and stars! I’m glad that you got the tires. Tires are like gasoline…gotta have ‘em and, gotta have big ole good ‘uns. And, they are not cheap. The rears may last until Johnny comes marching home in Sept. Then he can deal with it. But, Erik, feel free to call. Lorri, we always hope for cool somethings in the mail but rarely find them. We’re excited!
Speaking of which, we enjoyed your call, today, big guy. I marvel that we can communicate in this way though we are so far apart. It’s always so good to hear your voice and know that you are OK. We truly appreciate your writing and dote on the articles. We are disappointed (but understanding) when we don’t see a new entry every day. We do get that you are in the U.S. Army and need to work occasionally, in between opening packages and scarfing J.F. and carbs. More news later. Sleep and eat well, doctor.
My warmest personal regards to all of you who fearlessly respond to Erik’s and other’s musings. Your writings and good wishes make this remarkable exercise all the more interesting.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
[...] two or (as in our case) three years of the intense training. Tony, along with Tanya Wroblewski whom I have mentioned previously, was in my fellowship class, and we all became close friends—a friendship which continues to [...]