Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that I’ve really...Sign The Guest Book
Hello!
Thanks for visiting my online journal.
This started out as a “contact” page, but has turned into more of a “guest book” and I invite you to sign in, leave a comment if you’d like, and thereby become a permanent part of this web site.
If you have any feedback that you would like to leave me, please feel free to write it below. Alternatively, you can e-mail me at rupard@gmail.com.
Godspeed,
Erik
February 29th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Erik,
I Can’t think of you going without crying, so I don’t. It is a credo I survive by. If I don’t think about it, maybe it won’t happen, and if it does, I won’t be thinking about it, so it won’t bother me. It totally doesn’t work,but I pretend it does. I want you to know how much I am enjoying the soundtrack from Once, and I love the song Falling softly. Ok, that was my “it’s no big deal that you are going” diversion, but I do care, and as I type this , I am afraid of being electrocuted by the tears that are falling onto my keyboard. I will miss you more than it is possible to say, I love you and am so proud of you. My heart aches for all of these reasons, and I want you to know that I will think of you every day, just as I did on your mission, only I will be missing you so much more and be constantly worrying about your family and you. You are my baby brother and I can’t live in a world you aren’t in, so please be careful and know that all of us depend on you to come home safely,… but no pressure. I love you, my precious kid brother. I carry you with me wherever I go, and I want you to know that your going really sucks. We all
need you.
All my love, Mit
February 29th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Dear Uncle Erik,
I wanted to say goodbye before you leave. I dont want you to leave, and am very worried. I love you, tell Everyone I said hi!
Love,
Becky
March 14th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Hi Uncle Erik!
How are you doing? I enjoy reading your blog, and all the things people say! How is everything going? I miss you calling our house, I am so used to answering the phone all the time when you call, and it seems like it has been so long. I think that it is cool that you saw a camel. How is everything in Iraq? I hope you are doing well! I love you,
Love,
Becky T
March 14th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
You should make a countdown till you come home one the website.
Six Months right! Not too long!!!!
March 14th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Hey Uncle Eric,
March 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Hey uncle Erik, sorry i didn’t write yet, just busy with school work. (okay maybe that excuse is a little lame because i’ve probably spent 5 minitues tops on schoolwork this weekend, so i guess a better excuse would be that i was being alittle lazy.) The other day, i found a little cat (about six months old) in my backyard. it is someones pet, because it was shoven where it would have gotten spayed. i told my mom that i was worried to daeth about the poor little thing, and my mom wondered why i was so concerned about a cat when my uncle was in iraq. but i am a bijillion times more worried about you then the cat. but you are a man, and the cat is only a few months, and i know that you can probably take care of yourself a little better than a cat. well hey, forget the cat, how are you doing? we are all worried SICK about you!!!!!! i don’t think anybody will sleep soundly for the next six months. hey, at least you got your comuter with you, so we can hear from you. it’s releiving to know that you’ll write everyday. i dont really have anything magnificent to anounce like Molly, and Sam. i’m not do’in so hot in school, but hey, life goes on
well we all miss you a ton, and are thoughts and prayers are with you 24/7
luv ya,
Caroline,
March 15th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Hi, Erik,
It was great to hear your voice this morning. We are so glad that you seem to be getting along so well. I was really worried about your eyes, being a dry eye sufferer myself. It sounds like your clinic is not challenging your skills, but that is okay. You have plenty challenging you in everyday life. Maddy and Drew are wiped out because of the play, and I think Lorri is a bit wiped out as well. But then Maya, Dad, and I are not as busy as everyone else. We took Neko to run this morning. There was only one other dog there – Murphy (mom is Margie). We also could walk down by the Savannah river to a boat docking area. It is very pretty here – and hot. Dad and I are trying to get everyone together to take the girls out to lunch. Lorri may go to the Stake Center for a RS program – not sure. Dad is painting the mail box bracket that you put up, and I am about to make some lemon bars for the sale tonight. I know you don’t like them so no big deal. I am not commenting on lie and lay, however, yesterday night is more commonly known as last night, and Juliet is spelled in the English style not French. Yes! Love you, Erik. Mom
March 15th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Hey uncle Erik,!
How are you? Hey, i was wondering, do any of your buddies (who dont get too much) want anything. like a snack, or some toiletrees (did i spell that right?) , or a journal or something in that era. if so, please don’t hesitate to tell me because i can easily pick up some m&m’s or something at the mini market. hey, also, my email is sweetcaroline327@yahoo.com . drop me a note or something,
luv ya,
March 16th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Hey Uncle Erik, it me, caroline. we can’t wait for you to write something new on your blog! we’re all worried to death about you! we are putting together na care package to you. (by “care” we mostly mean candy!) what are your favorite candies, or cookies, or chips or something, because becky and i are going to the convienience store (sorry i’m having spelling issues) tommarow after school to get you guys stuff, so post a list of you and your friends favorite goodies. write soon! we miss you.
Caroline :#
March 17th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Erik-
ahhh- the koka kola cams made me miss Egypt. Love all the pic’s! Maybe we will get a scout thing going for you- I am the Bear Den Leader- these kids could do a service project. So it is M&M’s you like eh? My very fav part of your blog is the Q&A box for shipping. Made me smile- and you know how riddles with anxiety I am at this time…..
We are so proud of you!
Aimee
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I’ll try, but I dont ever read my E-Mails. If I answer the email that is a sign of great affection.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Hi Brother Rupard! I’m Katrina Shultz, and I was in the Martinez Ward before I got moved to the Grovetown Ward. My family and I are wondering if there is anything specific that you and your unit needs, besides the normal sweets of course!
Thanks for all you guys do,
The Shultz’s
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
Hi Uncle Erik!
How’s it going? I hope you are doing well.
So today in World Civilizations class, we are writing essays in the point of view of a soldier in World War I who is living in a bunker/trench. As soon as I heard the assignment, I immedietly thought, ‘Uncle Erik.’ So I was checking out your blog, as I do everyday, and was reading the posts over again, some of the things that you say really helped me and my essay.
I went to my first concert 2 weeks ago today. The Jonas Brothers…AMAZING! It was an amazing expierence to go to a concert, I never expected it to be so loud! Before I went, my dad was telling me stories about his first concert expierence, he even mentioned a few with you guys. Something about you and him going to a concert and he didn’t have money so you guys saw somebody from a record store you went to and he loaned you money or something like that.
Well, I have to go for now so I keep you in my prayers and your family too.
Love,
Molly
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Thank you Molly. That is sweet of you!
May 7th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Erik,
I had a great visit to Al-Asad. It was great to see a fellow hem-onc doc in person in Iraq. Thanks for waiting at the ADAC terminal, I thought you and the LT would just drop us off. We flew into Balad last night and got back to Speicher today. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the week old Wall Street Journals and the bike ride was great!!! I sent the pictures to your email account.
Thanks, tanya
July 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
hey erik my dad sent me your website and i am viewing it often. im living in clearwater fl. and was wondering how your family is doing. i pray for your safe return and thank you and all involved over there for what you all are going thru. hope you have a great 4th of july. tell your family i say hi. oh, and sorry about your red sox, but our rays here are looking pretty tough. god bless you and keep you well. John Zatorski
July 4th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Johnnie Z! How good it is to hear from you! All of us Rupards are fine and living as large as we can. If you want to really determine how everyone is, just keep abreast of Erik’s blog each day and come back frequently to check the comments following E’s entry. You will get a very rich amalgam of commentary on nearly every subject from someone in our large and growing clan. Erik came up with this nifty way for us to communicate and vicariously be with him on his deployment. It’s been a unique experience. Hope all is well with you and family. Regards, Barry, Sr.
July 5th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
John,
It is me, Missy. I am now 43, but am still the same old pesky little sister. How is Jim? He is one I think of often. I hear you are doing well. It was great of you to write to my brother. Can you believe that he is the same kid who threw up when Brad Sini spit on his nose? He gets a lot worse on him now, and the only thing that ever seemed to really bother him was his o/b rotation. He hated the amniotic fluid and its slippery consistency.
I am married with 4 kids, aged 14, twin 13 year olds, and an 8 year old. My oldest is the only boy and is an Erik clone, including the brains. Scary thought. the twins make up for it though. they are very hard, but cute as can be. Our baby, Juliet, is the apple of everyone’s eye, completely delightful and even has a head full of golden curls. Erik’s 3 girls are lovely, as is his wife, and Becky’s 4 boys are a handful, but look just like her, as cute as can be. Barry’s 2 biological children, Sam and Molly are great kids. I wish I was able to see more of them, but that will have to wait until the timing is right.
I love hearing from old Sandburg people and often wonder about a lot of the kids who went there. If you ever hear from any of them, let me know. Actually, even though I am sort of hearing from you second hand, I know Erik won’t mind my interest in your entry on his blog.
As you can probably tell, Erik has grown out of some of his harder idiosyncrasies, has new ones, but is a joy to us all. We miss him, but feel certain with each passing day that he will return to us safely and in one piece.
You should come visit us in CT. We would all love to see you and hear about you and your family. email me if you get a chance at mktompkins6@gmail.com. and fill me in on your family and your life and your sibs and parents. Thanks for supporting my wonderful brother. I have 2 wonderful brothers and I know Barry would love to hear from you if he hasn’t for a while.
give your family my love, Missy
July 6th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Hey John, great to hear from you! It has been around thirty years, I think…
As you can tell from the blog, I am surviving the Iraq experience, and I think my extended family is surviving my being out here. I don’t get to catch the Red Sox or the Rays very often, and though I hope the Sox eventually figure out the new-look Rays, I am always happy for the success of a young, low-ego-content team like both of Florida’s current clubs.
We saw your dad and mom at Disney World a year or so ago, and it was great to recall the memories of playing baseball in our front yard for hours on end. I occasionally wonder about the people from that time: Brad Sini, Mark Granlund, and so many others of whom I have shady, very incomplete memories.
I am truly grateful for your prayers on my behalf, and those of so many others who so generously keep me in their hearts.
Take care, John, and best wishes to your family.
Erik
July 7th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Hi Erik! It has been a long time… I too received the link to your blog from my dad and have been following your stay in Iraq. I love your writing. It has been nice to get a brief glimpse into what you are enduring over there. I enjoy reading your blog and learning about your experiences. It sounds like there is a big group of Rupards out there waiting for you to come back home! I look forward to seeing a picture of everyone when that happens. I am living in Denver, CO with my 17 year old daughter – BrieAnn. She is a senior in HS this fall. Time sure flies – whether or not you’re having fun, huh? It sounds like you love the outdoors as much as we do here. If you are ever in CO you’d love the bike trails we have – not near the dust it sounds like you are living in now. I pray for you and your family every day. Thank you for all you are doing for us. Love, BarbieZ
July 8th, 2008 at 1:47 am
Barbie,
Great to hear from you as well. I vaguely remember you saving me after I bit the dust pretty hard at Wincliff and was bleeding all over the place. You picked me up, and carried me to the clubhouse, where they stuck a bunch of band-aids on me. I must have been about 6 years old at the time. If I never said so before: thanks!
We’ll definitely get some reunion pix on the blog. Colorado is a lovely area and it sounds like you and I share the “17-year-old-daughter” experience. Maddy is also going into senior year, which means college next year. Yikes!
Best wishes to you and your family,
Erik
July 8th, 2008 at 9:23 am
To BarbieZ:
Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver, the other is gold.
You are your family are gold to the Rupards. Thank you for your kind words and prayers for Erik.
Marilyn
July 8th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Dr. Rupard:
I enjoy so much reading your comments and stories about your deployment. It is great to see that you have not lost your sense of humor. All of you from the Department of Medicine are in my prayers constantly. Just think – you will be home soon. Take Care!
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Erik,
Just wanted to let you know that last Sunday 13 Jul 08 was my last at Martinez Ward. I have already moved family to Hilton Head Island SC and taking a lot of vacation before my 15 month deployment to Iraq. I wish you well on your return. Once I hit ground will email you my address over in Iraq. I don’t know exactally where I will be. Take care and thanks for everything.
V/R
CPT Smith
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 am
Carol: It is great to hear from you (our former administrator in the Eisenhower Dept of Internal Medicine), and I certainly appreciate your prayers on behalf of those of us who are overseas. I hope that your new job is treating you well, and that you are staying healthy and happy.
Aaron: You have been a great help to me out here, with your frequent e-mails of encouragement and very generous care packages. I will be praying for your safe return and the comfort of your family while you are gone. E-mail once you have an APO address so that I can send you some good stuff.
Godspeed, brother.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 am
Aaron: Thank you for your selflessness-for sending Erik so many thoughtful items during his deployment. I appreciate that you could fully empathize. I was also moved by the spirit of your recent talk in sacrament meeting; the Martinez Ward isn’t quite the same w/o you. Take care of yourself, stay safe and yes, please send us your APO when you get settled, so that we can put a package together for you!!! Love, Erik and Lorri and fam.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Major I-Picked-Up-Maurice-Jones-Drew-Off-The-Scrap-Heap:
The second most important evening of your summer (second only to you touching back down on US soil) is rapidly approaching. Get home soon and safe.
You’re in my thoughts & prayers my friend.
-W-
July 26th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Wralphie,
Great to hear from my perpetual competition for fourth place in the Rooski. It was a pleasant surprise for me to find out I’d actually be (barely) home for the draft. Typical fantasy football junkie: “Hey Lorri, I know I have been gone for the last six months, but now that I am home, I really need to spend 5 hours on Friday night with my fantasy buddies.” That’ll go over well.
I appreciate you thinking of me. Hope all is well with you, and we’ll be talking soon.
Erik
July 26th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
It’s a date…. I suppose.
You can go to your pretend world for the night E, and I’ll buy that as yet unspecified DVD box set for my personal viewing.
As long as we’re ignoring each other under the same roof.
July 26th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Lorri:
The draft is only three hours. You can get by with the light box set…..
July 26th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Yes!!!
April 12th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Dear Erik:
Tonight I stumbled across your blog while surfing contemporary discussions of pros and cons of military medicine. While I only have digested selected snippets of this brilliantly composed epic, I am especially moved by your dedication, discipline, wit and humanity. I wish you a belated welcome home from Iraq and reunion with your loved ones, thanking you for your service and sacrifices, and continued success at DDEAMC and all future endeavors. This blog should be incorporated into the USUHS archives– wonderful, refreshing and poignant. Congratulations on your valuable project.
My son has been accepted to USUHS for 2009. He, however, is uncertain of the commitment and has a big decision to make–I’m trying to stay out of his way.
I was class of 1983 (Army), retired in 2000, continuing since in private practice/teaching (UNC-CH) in Charlotte as a urologist. Other than my 6 months in the Persian Gulf, I would have not traded any of my residency/fellowship and subsequent assignments for “what might have been”. My wife and I have no regrets and are very grateful for extremely rich and unique opportunities and experiences. I have found the bureaucracy of a major civilian medical center and private practice to be more stifling than I ever recall in the military. Stay tuned… Mr. Obama wants to use the DOD as a paradigm for future civilian EMR models. Who’d a thunk it?
All the best,
Pierce Irby
April 12th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Pierce,
Thanks for taking the time to write. I, too, would not change my USUHS experience (and subsequent ones) for anything (though you’ll find those on this blog who do not feel that way if you read through the discussions). Having said that, I am indeed ready to get out in about 22 months, after service since 1994.
I hope that your son seriously considers it. The military generally treats us well, and knowing that my mom and dad would not be footing my med school bill was very important to me…
Take care,
Erik
September 13th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Dear Dr. Rupard,
You are the first person with the same last name I have met who is a member of the LDS Church. My oldest son and I are baptized and my youngest will be baptized in Feb. No one else from my immediate family is a member. If you have any family history, I would greatly appreciate any information you may have. May Heavenly Father bless you and keep your family.
Timberlyn Rupard