27 Sep 2006:
Hello from Kuwait/Iraq again:

After my last posting, some of my cohorts in crime brought a few things to my attention that I missed. So if I may, I would like to amend the list of requests with the following:   

Beef jerky-beef jerky is great. It doesn’t require a fridge or anything to cook it, and will hold you over until your next meal. We like jerky a lot.

Mach 3 razor blades-many of us have the Mach 3 razors, but not always blades. We have to shave every day, so blades tend to wear out more quickly, plus our skin is tougher here than at home due to the heat and wind and sun. These are really appreciated.

Ipods or mp3 players-I realize that these are asking a bit much, but I forward the askings as they come. Perhaps someone out there works at Apple, or Ebay, or Amazon, or Sony, who knows? If you have one that is collecting dust, or that you or your kids have lost interest in, then by all means we would use them, but I feel kinda guilty asking for things like this.

PSP or Play Station Portables-yeah, a couple have asked. Please see the posting above. Awesome if they happen, but I am not holding my breath.

Deodorants go a long way, as do granola bars, body wash, and other hygiene things.

I cannot thank people enough. If I have not mentioned you by name, it doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate you, or that I have forgotten about you. Many times I send packages north to Iraq without removing the senders names, so that the Army/Navy/Marines that get them can respond. They have it a lot harder than we do, and when they roll through here, I do everything that I can to make their trip better. Us “old guys” have to take care of these kids. They are great, and by and large, we are proud of them and the job that they do.

Thanks for everything that you do for us,

OS2 Johnson, Mark E.   USN

21 Sep 2006

Yes, it really is that hot here.

Wow, it has been awhile since I sent my last update. I am sorry for taking so long, things haven’t exactly been peachy here lately. We have been having a rash of thefts that are really bringing us down. I personally have had both an external harddrive, and my Oakleys stolen. It really brings a man (or woman) down when you get ripped off.

That and I miss my kids. My little girl lost her first tooth about two weeks ago, and she started cheerleading, and the first grade while I have been gone. Enough of my self-pity. Just want everyone to know that there are other things going on that are bringing some of us down a little.

Anyhow, our mission objectives have again changed, as have our schedules and for some, their AO’s. This is creating a lot of dissent, as well as many that are just tired of being here. Personally, I like it here. It isn’t much different from home, except for the guns and tanks and stuff!!

So I would at least like to take a minute and acknowledge a few of the kind folks who sent me things. I thank them with all my heart, as do the others in Port Group Delta, Army SECFOR, and the Signal Battalions that I work with in the field.

Rita G.-thank you for the snacks, candy, drink mixes and the coffee mug. I gave this package to a Sergeant from the 1st Infantry Division who was taking his men into Iraq, and I know that they appreciated it. The hygiene items went to a Marine Division that was going North too. I am sure they put them to good use, especially the cold/allergy medications, as they can be hard to come by here. THANKS!!

Claire and Mike K.-your continued support has been great!! I passed your items around within our group and everything went to a good home. The teddy bear was sent home in a foot locker of mine, and I will give it to my daughter when I get home. That was really nice of you and I thank you!!

Grandma-I know you don’t have a computer, but thanks for sending me snacks and gum. Stop worrying about me so much!!

Michelle H.-thank you so much for the hygiene items, they go pretty far, and believe me, we appreciate people using them!!

Lisa M.-OMG!! I have never ground coffee before so this is an education. I LOVE THE GRINDER!! Madeleine M. (the coffee love of my life) has turned me on to the Starbucks (which I had not had before, and now have sold my soul to), and your particular flavor was great. I am the Master at Arms for my barracks and have designated myself as the only person allowed to be in possession of a coffee maker (it’s against the rules-heat generating devices), so all coffee has to be made in my space. Luckily the Mayor thinks I am safe enough to do this. Anyhow, the coffee is great, and we all thank you!!

I don’t have the packing note, but to the guys from Phoenix who sent the cigars-RIGHT ON!! I am not a huge cigar smoker, but there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of people here who like cigars, and the ones that you sent were great!! I tried one or two and they were nice!! THANK YOU!!!

Laura R.-thanks for the snacks, magazines, and koolaid packs. We have water available to us, so having the packs is nice. Lately the favorite seems to be Crystal Light green tea, we can’t seem to get enough of it. The hygiene items I took to the field and gave out there, and they were much appreciated. I was born in Illinois and haven’t been back in a long time, but I remember growing up there and how people actually knew their neighbors and gave a darn about others. I hope it still is that way.

Doc and Anita C.-I owe you both a HUGE apology. You have been nothing but supportive and I haven’t written you or done anything to show you that we appreciate you and all that you have done for us. I could use a lot of excuses (most of which are for real), but I won’t. I should write more, or email in this case, but it seems like the more we do here the more we end up with. I have been down in the dumps after my shades were stolen (I really liked them), and my hard drive which had ALL of my music and pictures from this trip, plus all of the pictures from my trip to Disneyland with my kids before I left. I know. Excuses. I am sorry for not following up like I should. I appreciate all that you do.

And then there is Ms. Madeleine M. (best for last?!?)-You are really cool. You have turned me on to coffee other than whatever is on sale. That could be bad. (But so far it’s kinda nice) YOU are kinda nice!! I haven’t heard from you in awhile but I haven’t forgotten about you or the great things that you have sent me. Every morning when I make coffee, I remember where it came from, and no matter how angry I get at some of the people around me or distraught at this place or our circumstances, a fresh cup of coffee seems to round the edges and make it just a little more manageable. This I owe to you, and I thank you. A lot.

We lost a good friend and shipmate a couple of weeks ago to a MVA. SECFOR Specialist Greeno was a 20 year old soldier who was a gate guard from a Reserve Unit in Wisconsin. He was a great kid and was always cordial and kind to the Navy personnel and us “old guys”. We are all saddened by his death. I had spent quite a few nights at the smoke pit talking with Greeno and his crew, and he proved to be a smart, courageous, and kind soldier who was taken way before his time. Our team suffered a great loss when he died, and my prayers go out to his family and friends. He was a really good guy, and it’s a shame that he is gone.

Anyhow, I wanted to take a few minutes to share what’s going on, and thank everybody again for all of the support that we have gotten. Morale may be down here, but support from home always makes things a little more bearable. The thievery is just something that we have to deal with, I guess, but knowing that people at home actually care about us and what we are doing (whether you agree with our being here or not), means the world sometimes. So again, we thank you.

Regards,

OS2 Johnson, Mark E   USN

18 Jul 2006

Wow, it has been a busy, crazy, WAY HOT time lately.

I have to apologize for not writing to those who have sent things to me, but we are going through alot of changes with our command and our mission right now. I don't want to say too much or let on that I have any role in these things, but it is DEFINATELY (sp?) keeping me working. My crew puts in over 70 hours a week, plus the constant transportation issues, and the other "collateral duties" that I have taken on.

But enough excuses.

Madaleine Murphy...........I think I love you. The Starbucks coffee was FABULOUS!! I shared it with my army counterparts. Technically we aren't allowed to have coffee makers or any "heat generating devices" in our barracks, but in the spirit of improvise, adapt, and overcome, I am winning out. The coffee is great. We don't have access to coffee except at meal times, and with some of the stuff we have had going on, it just doesn't happen, so YOU RULE!! (I know, pretty goofy for a 38 yr old guy to throw thatout there, but I have been surrounded by young soldiers and it must be rubbing off on me!)

To the couple from Quartsite..............THANK YOU!! All of the snacks were gone within a day!! This couple has sent many care packages to me, and I have dutifully given them all away. Snacks, hygiene items, drink packets, you name it, these nice folks have sent it. Believe me we are really, really grateful!!

I have to admit (and it has taken me awhile to man up), but i received couple of those spongy, flowery looking shower things, and I gave them to the females, as they looked a little "girly" to me. Don't get me wrong, I am not some neandrethal or anything, but hey, I am in a predominantly male environment, and image is important (I thought), especially for us Navy guys. Anyhow, back to my story, Petty Officer Mott encouraged me to try one (to which I was like "Oh h*** no") but she wore me down. I guess I should thank her for it!! I had never used the body wash or spongy thing, but man let me tell you----those things are COOL!! I hadn't used the word exfoliate in a sentence prior to Kuwait, but now I have overcome that and am an exfoliating fool. Thanks for the body wash and spongy things, they are GREAT!!!

I know that I am forgetting lots of people here, and I apologize. It has been crazy times lately (car bombs, work loads, elevated OPSEC and security, poor comms, you know, typical gripes/poor excuses), and I will try to do better. it is refreshing to hear from other people from the US and catch up.

I carry all of your names and info in my pack which never leaves my side (or back as the case may be), and think of you folks daily, and thank you constantly for all that YOU, our family supporting us while we are away do for us.

Sorry to cut it short, but have a Fine Navy Day, and again thank you. I can never thank everyone enough!!

OS2 Mark Johnson

28 May 2006

Hello All:

It is HOT here!! We are forecasted to be close to 120 or more all week.

I want to give a special hello and THANKS to the people who sent soap, deodorant, and hygiene supplies. You can’t believe how much that helps, and how much it matters to many of us. A nice woman from Chicago sent a care package with hygiene items and blades for Mach3 razors. That was great, since they are pretty scarce around here sometimes.

I have tried to answer most or all of the mail I have gotten, but have been pressed for time. I hope it does not seem insincere to address those of you who wrote or sent packages here, in kind of a group posting. I intend to write each of you individually, but it may not be for awhile, as we have been really busy-business is picking up…..

Barbara Duprel-I received your letter and jokes. They are being passed around all over the place and we appreciate them and YOU!

Belinda, Zoey, and Kyrie Johansen-I received your letter/card, and photos. You have beautiful kids, kinda like mine!! My kids are great, and it sounds like you have a great time with yours, and that they love you very much. This is the reason that most of us are here. I am here for my kids, and yours too. Next time send a photo or two of yourself also. Would be nice to see their mom as well as them. K?

Ms. Sharon Dischinger-It is great that you are so close to your grandkids despite their living arrangements. It is so important to spend time with them. My mom is gone, and my now 5 yr old daughter never really had a chance to know her. Sad. So fight to stay close to them, it means a lot own the road, and GOOD JOB!!

Ms. Madeleine Murphy-you are GREAT!! Your package came at a really good time, we had a bunch of Army bros. come in from up north and they really needed supplies, and your timing was perfect!! I was born in Chicago, as I mentioned in the email that I sent in reply earlier, and would like to visit my family there again in the future. I have been away from Illinois for 25 years, so I am sure things have changed, but still miss fall, and things that are green. We don’t have green where I live, and there ain’t much of it here, believe me!!

Jo Giles-I really liked you letter. I would really like to write to you more, and am really sorry about your brother, PFC Landon Giles. All should know that Ms. Giles brother was killed over here while serving in the Army. He was a hero, all caps HERO!! I have all the respect in the world for those guys. We work side by side each day and make our sacrifices here for your kids, my kids, and our way of life. I am really glad that you wrote me, and I hope we can follow up soon.

Michelle Moclaire-Where did you get your stationary? It is awesome!! I am a diver and look forward to going to a dive spot just like the one in your stationary. I have never been to Florida but can’t wait, as there is supposed to be fantastic diving there. Thanks for writing me, I hope you will do so again, you seem really nice.

The nice lady who made the Mothers Day cards sent Fathers Day cards. A HUGE THANKS to you!! There are women here who really appreciated the extra thought that you put into the cards for their husbands. We went through the cards quickly and everybody thanks you hugely!!

Kirsten Robison-Thanks for the snacks!! We don’t get out much (as you can imagine) so chips, and candy and snacks go a long, long way here. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

To the students of Grace Lutheran Church in Storm Lake Iowa-I hope that you have received letters from some of my Army and Navy brothers and sisters. Your letters to us are posted in a place where all of the people both coming and going to and from Kuwait and Iraq can see them and read them. We love you and appreciate you, and are happy that you took the time to write to us. Thank YOU!!

In case anyone was wondering, I check my mail as often as I can. The packages that I get, I open where we receive our mail. A lot of the time, we take stuff from the packages and send it up north to our folks in Iraq the same day that I receive it. The leftovers I share with everybody around me, as well as those that occupy my barracks. We appreciate all of the support and love that we receive from those at home that care about us.

As I keep saying, most of us don’t care about the politics involved with our being here, we are just here. Most of us volunteered, some did not. Either way, we are Americans just like you, and each day we try to do the right things. Sometimes it is harder than others. We appreciate all of your support from home.

Regards,

OS2 Johnson, Mark E.   USN

15 May 2006
Hello, and Happy Mothers Day from steamy Kuwait.

We reached 121.9 degrees yesterday, and it is getting steadily hotter, as Petty Officer Weymouth earlier said.

I received 7 letters from a group of students right before Mothers Day, and it warmed the hearts of our moms-away-from-home. Special thanks to the kids, and the parents and teachers from Grace Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa. We appreciate the letters, and I have posted them where soldiers from incoming and outgoing convoys can read them.

We had a convoy team roll through here on their way home a few days ago, and they really enjoyed reading the notes from those kids. Congratulations to our Army brothers that are getting to finally go home!!

As stated before, non-melting snacks are disappearing faster than I can check my mail, so thanks to those who donated.

Butler’s Smokehouse, and Lacy Butler sent a small package of their beef jerky to me, and I didn’t make it to our barracks before it was all gone. To those who may wonder, Lacy Butler is tied to the USO and has donated lots of time and jerky to the soldiers and sailors here, and we thank her and her husband for taking care of us, and gladly say nice things about them.

With the extreme heat comes interesting issues. Hygiene mostly. Deodorants and soap are not always easily accessible to some of us. We have been having water shortages quite a bit lately, and deodorant and wet wipes go a long way. Many do not have access to a PX/BX so rely on the generousity of others, but supplies wear thin after awhile. Personally, hygiene is a priority. Nothing worse than a stinky shipmate. UGGH!!

I contacted Operation Uplink to see about phone cards for the Marines and Soldiers cycling through here, and await a reply from them very soon. They have been helpful to those who were here before me (Chief Liberty, and others), and I hope to carry on the torch with comms for others who do not have a way to contact home.

I am sure that I missed lots of things, but am kind of limited on the time that I can donate to emailing, so thanks for your patience.

God Bless, and again, Happy Mothers Day and THANKS!!

OS2 Mark Johnson

03 May 2006

01 May 2006
Wow!!

I have received 4 or 5 letters and my first package two days ago. In it was several hand made Mother’s Day Cards!! To the nice lady who made them-WE THANK YOU!! I put the word out that I had them and all 42 that she sent were distributed by days end. THAT, is awesome. My own mother is gone, but I did manage to fire one off to my ex-wife, who takes care of my two little terrors so again, thanks!!!

I handed out the letters that I received, and answered a few with the names and locations of some of my Army Brothers and Sisters up north who aren’t receiving much mail from home. SO THANKS to the nice folks who wrote to me. I AM passing the mail on. I may not answer right away (for which I apologize), but I will answer. I have taken on multiple jobs that are requiring me to work 16-18 hours a day right now, so my time is mainly work, convoy, sleep, eat, convoy, work……………you get the idea. NEVER think that anything that my fellow Americans from home do for us in not appreciated. We appreciate everything that people do for us. Really.

It is getting hot here quickly, and we are all fighting to adapt, but things are going well overall. The heat makes it kinda tough on some of us, as we have to shave each day, so as he mentioned, three bladed razors are the best! Some of the black men in our group are having issues with shaving as they have sensitive skin, but I am not sure what I can do to help them. If there is anybody who knows about this stuff, It would help.

As far as needs go, I have spoken to Chief Liberty, who I am working with until he is reassigned, and am taking pointers from him every chance I get. I agree with him that beef jerky is always good. We had a group of Marines come through (the poor guys were beat, tired, sunburned and dirty)and he passed out a stuck of phone cards and sent them on their way to the phone hut. They were shocked that he was able to do this, and were more than happy to be able to call home after being gone “in harm’s way” for so long, so for the Chief, we say again, THANK YOU to all who donated the phone cards.

We are still battling with our 220v issues, transformers for small appliances (shoot, the small appliances themselves)aren’t holding up with the climbing temperatures, but we continue to adapt. Portable media is one of the forerunners of requests now. I have put the word out that I am one of the volunteers (so far the only from our group that I know of), and response has been good. Many have requested smokes, but I am not sure where to go with that one. I asked around on my initial list pretty extensively before I submitted it, and I think it covered a lot of out bases.

Easter has came and went, and the mood abroad was somewhat somber, but we will have to adjust, as we aren’t sure how long we will be here, and we DO have a job to do.

It’s kind of hard for a lot of people understand the role that we sailors play here, but there are lot of us over here, and we work hand in hand with both the Army and Marines. We have our Sea Bees here, our Comms people here, and battalions of our cargo handlers here. We are playing a large role here, and hopefully making a difference. There are thousands of us here, doing our jobs together. It is kind of nice to work with joint services, we are getting very good at burying the hatchet with each other and our age old rivalries(Army/Navy, etc.).

Oh yeah, one last thing. We are getting eaten alive right now by bugs. Mosquitoes, and whatever little crawlies they have here, so any kind of help would be great.

Again, thanks for everything.

OS2 Johnson, Mark E.

Ps. If anybody from AZ reads this, drop me a line and let me know what’s new at home

16 Apr 2006
We have crude housing, but power is in 220v, and it not clean power, resulting in alot of shorts and surges which has destroyed many of our personal items-shavers, dvd players, computers, etc. My unit (which is primarily a comms/intel unit) is represented from AZ, and there are dozens of others (CHB's)from Alabama, and VA. We have been away from our homes and families for awhile now, (some for 3-4 months), and some are losing their enthusiasm. Food here is pretty good, overall, and the Navy has provided water stations in many, many places, so food really isn't an issue, besides, some of us like MRE's (they really aren't that bad). Some things that we could make good use of would be voltage converters, adapters, inverters, surge strips for 220v, sun block, allergy medications, non-melting sweets(gummy bears), vitamins and vitamin c, possibly dvd's, cuticle softener (females), neutral/clear nail polish (females), hair color (female), carmex, chapstik, beef jerky, various toiletries, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets, magic hair removal, phone cards, and maybe computer games. This is a combined list from several of my shipmates, male, female, black, white, young and old. Just plain support from others. We have set aside our political viewpoints to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief, putting ourselves in a hostile foreign land, to let our own nation sleep at night. We love our country and our families, and we miss them. My kids miss me, but I am where I am, trying to do my part to keep us safe from the "bad guys".