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Any Soldier® reserves the right to modify or change specifications without notice.

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OS1 Mark E. Johnson
- U. S. Navy -
Iraq
OS1 Mark E. Johnson
(Address not available or expired.)
Make a donation, please. Click HERE AFTER you get an address.
(This address has been requested 5 times.) (NOTE **)
APO/FPO: APO AE (Note 1*)
Added here: 20 August 2010
End date: 25 Mar 2011 (Note 3*)
Contact for approx number of Males: 28, Females: 2 (Note 5*)
Unit is from: Arizona (Note 6*)
We welcome PO2 Mark Johnson back!!
His old pages aree HERE and HERE.

13 Apr 2011:
Hi everybody!

I haven't had my updates posted in awhile, so here is the latest!

I was moved to another base! I was needed to train teams of new folks, and since I am "an old hand" here, I was chosen to take the lead and go somewhere else and share the wealth!

I have received several letters and some packages, and want to acknowledge all the GREAT people who have sent their love, snacks, and support!

Anna W from Austin-you are AWESOME! The coffee is a MONUMENTAL hit and the Halloween candy was gone in about 10 seconds flat! THANK YOU!

Megan M from Berkeley-Your dad coached you right! The snacks and hygiene items were perfect! Please thank him for us, and tell him that "we have the watch" here. He will know what it means (since he is prior Navy), and thanks!

Jodi C from Peoria-OMG! Rice Krispie treats are a HUGE hit! I shared them with some Army folks that I was working with, and they inhaled them like a Hoover! Thank YOU!!

Jade DL from South Jersey- thank you so much for your drawings! They are hanging in our "shop" and everyone who comes and goes likes them! They are a ray of sunshine, on days when sometimes we need JUST that! Thank you!

Jennifer R from Anchorage-the snacks were FANTASTIC! The cookies and candy lasted like 2 days, and VANISHED! Thank YOU!

Lauren R from Lyndhust, Karen S from Montgomery Village, Martha M from Apache, Timber M from Winston, and Margie D from Minneapolis-thank you all SO MUCH for your letters, you are all super and we LOVE to hear from each of you, and your stories and histories!

You are ALL our heroes. We are just a bunch of guys and ladies who are tasked with an un-glamorous job in a not-so-friendly place. Hearing from each and every one of you from home is the high point of all of our days. We get together and read the letters and cards, and open the packages like kids on Christmas morning.

We really enjoy hearing from you all, and hope we can maintain the relationships that we have all started so far. I am not always the best communicator, sometimes due to the mission schedules here, sometimes due to internet availability, but I DO mean it when I say that we TRULY appreciate you.


I APPRECIATE you.


We have a long road ahead of us, and who knows what the future holds in the next 10 or 11 months for us, but from the Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines here in Iraq and Kuwait, WE THANK YOU!!


10 Feb 2011
I received another package from Anna W from Texas!

She has been one of the brightest stars of this trip!

When we were in Dallas on layover, I met her and took her to lunch. What a GREAT person!

THANKS Anna!

R/
Mark E. Johnson


31 Jan 2011
Wow, it seems like forever since I had a nice, quiet opportunity to send an update!

Things here have been way too busy for our liking!

The holidays have came and went with almost no fanfare, as “mission first” is our credo.

Thanksgiving and Christmas here is not very festive, but the various commands try to make it nice. The DFAC’s (dining facilities) here out on a VERY nice dinner, with turkey and stuffing, etc, but it isn’t nearly the same as my Grandma’s.

It is COLD here! I realize that a lot of the country is dealing with snow, and cold, but hey, I am in the middle east…..it is 30 degrees outside…..can someone turn up the heat!!??!!

We received a TON of Christmas cards, and THAT is always SUPER! So let me say thanks to those who took time and effort to contact me and my team, and replenish our snack and coffee supply!


The Glendale Prep Academy in Glendale, AZ sent a nice package of handmade cards, which I passed out at the MWR center! THANKS!!

Also, thanks to Mrs. Wright’s 4th grade class in Ft. Worth, TX! Your pictures will hang here with PRIDE!

-          Annabelle~hope your family celebration was great, and that Santa took good care of you!

-          Yojana~did you get the cell phone that you wanted?

-          Will~how was San Angelo? That’s in Texas too?

-          Morgan~did your family make it to Florida and Disney World? Never been there, but I bet it’s COOL!

-          Hudson~I am part of the Navy’s Forward Combat Customs Team. We keep America safe from “bad things”

-          Sydney~YES! We LOVE hot cocoa, although I kinda prefer coffee…yumm!

-          John B~no, they don’t let us come home for Christmas, darn it!

-          Gemma~you are right, Dobermans are WAY COOL dogs, wish I had one….

-          Michael~was Colorado cold? It is pretty cold here right now, but probably not like THERE!

Ginger from Eastside HS in Convington~THANKS for your card, is that REALLY your handwriting? OMG, how can you print so neatly? I have never seen penmanship that good. That’s pretty cool!

Margie from Minneapolis, thank you for your nice card! GOD IS with us here, and EVERYWHERE!

Louise and the “Star Spangled Holiday Crew”, you’re welcome, and THANKS for the nice card!

Mayor Harkins and the Town of Stratford staff, THANKS for the card. The return address was from the “tax-collectors office”…had me scared for a sec….   

The Saint Francis Employees Federal Credit Union in Tulsa, THANKS for the cards and letters, it is ALWAYS nice to hear from the states!

Tayvie J, from Cornville~where in the world is Cornville?? I have never heard of there! Is it nice?

Rachelle K, from Overland Park, KS~you are definitely NOT a weirdo, and DON’T let the scary dudes intimidate you, in dodgeball, you have the advantage! I have never been to Kansas, but from your note, it doesn’t sound too bad…..

Athena P, from Lake Havasu~THANK you so much for the hygiene stuff and snacks! Believe me……hygiene stuff is a GOOD thing…   

Megan M, from Berkeley~ OMG! Your coffee and snacks came at the PERFECT time! Thank you SO much!! The peanut brittle and pop tarts ROCK!

AND…..

Thanks AGAIN to Anita C from “Operation Hero Comfort” in Quartzsite, AZ. You have stuck with me through three tours now, and YOU are appreciated by ALL of us! You and your group are hero’s too!

And Karen S from “The HUGS Project”. Believe me, the hygiene items, books, and snacks that you send go a LONG way, and we appreciate everything that you are doing for us here.


I often get asked, “why do you deploy so much”, this is my fourth deployment to the middle east.


All I can say is, I am here because I am told to be here. Politics aside, “wars” aside, whether you agree with the “reasons” that the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are here, the fact is, that we ARE here. I would dare say that almost none of us chose this as a hot vacation spot, but we all understand that when we are called to go, we go.

I don’t like being away from my kids. I HATE it. But….I serve my country, I do it FOR my kids and everyone elses. Lord only knows what is down the road for us to hand over to our kids, but mine can atleast look at me, be proud, and know that I tried to make a difference.

I appreciate each and every person that has contacted me and my team, each of you have made a difference with us, and I thank you.

Happy New Year, I hope it is a good one for ALL of us!!


10 Dec 2010

Christmas is RAPIDLY coming upon us.

Thank you SO much for the support and packages that I have received! I have been “gifting” almost all of the GREAT stuff that has come my way, and EVERYONE is ecstatic! Every time I get a package, it is like a mini-Christmas for my guys and gals!

Anna W ~ you are a ROCKSTAR! The new coffee mug and coffee is INCREDIBLE and I cannot thank you enough!

Raytheon ~ thank you SO much for your package! I never expected to hear from you!

Dee from Quartsite ~ OMG! I can’t believe that you remembered me! It was AWESOME to hear from you again! Thank you SO much!

I found a couple of photos of me and my guys from Iraq to send with this message, note the HUGE smiles……..Thank you all for remembering us in your thoughts and prayers, it really DOES mean a lot.

And again, Thank you!!


R/
Mark E. Johnson


22 Nov 2010
Hello!

It has been a few weeks since I posted here, so I wanted to play a little catch up.

It has been really busy here, which is probably a good thing. It takes our minds off being away from home for the holidays, I guess.

I have the opportunity to be home for Thanksgiving, which has never been offered to me before, and I am going to go home and see my kids!! I talked to my daughter, and she is SO excited!

This is my fourth time deployed to the Middle East, but only the first time that we have been given mid-tour leave. Weird. It's good and bad, in the sense that (good)we get to go home and see our families, (bad)when we return, it is like starting over. I will have to do another 7 or 8 months before I go home for good. My orders for this trip are 13 months, and it looks like it will go the distance at this rate.

So.............as far as here, morale is up and down, but for the most part we are coming together and shaping up as a team nicely!

It has been getting COLD! OMG! We went from 130 degrees in the daytime with like 90 at night, to down in the 40's at night now. BRRRR.......................(I hate the cold, it's why I live in AZ)


I want to take a second to recognize the awesome people of "Atria Senior Living" in Tucson. The thoughts and care that the retirees put into their package was heartwarming and incredibly kind! THANK YOU so much!

I am going to try to visit the residents there when I am home on leave, and thank them in person.

And Anna W...........your constant support, and COFFEE (YES!! :-) brightens my (and everyone around me) day each morning! I make coffee and think of you with each cup! THANK YOU!!


The mail here has been kinda hinky and I haven't received anything in a couple of weeks, but that's the way it goes here. If you sent a package, and I didn't mention it here, it may be caught up in the middle east mail system, but I WILL acknowlege you all! EVERYONE who sends packages and letters and notes, is OUR hero here!

We appreciate you ALL!!

Have a great Thanksgiving, and thank you for supporting us while we are away for the holidays.

OS2(EXW)Mark Johnson


24 Oct 2010
Hi everybody!

I haven't had my updates posted in awhile, so here is the latest!

I was moved to another base! I was needed to train teams of new folks, and since I am "an old hand" here, I was chosen to take the lead and go somewhere else and share the wealth!

I have received several letters and some packages, and want to
acknowledge all the GREAT people who have sent their love, snacks, and support!

Anna W from Austin-you are AWESOME! The coffee is a MONUMENTAL hit and the Halloween candy was gone in about 10 seconds flat! THANK YOU!

Megan M from Berkeley-Your dad coached you right! The snacks and hygiene items were perfect! Please thank him for us, and tell him that "we have the watch" here. He will know what it means (since he is prior Navy), and thanks!

Jodi C from Peoria-OMG! Rice Krispie treats are a HUGE hit! I shared them with some Army folks that I was working with, and they inhaled them like a Hoover! Thank YOU!!

Jade DL from South Jersey- thank you so much for your drawings! They are hanging in our "shop" and everyone who comes and goes likes them! They are a ray of sunshine, on days when sometimes we need JUST that! Thank you!

Jennifer R from Anchorage-the snacks were FANTASTIC! The cookies and candy lasted like 2 days, and VANISHED! Thank YOU!

Lauren R from Lyndhust, Karen S from Montgomery Village, Martha M from Apache, Timber M from Winston, and Margie D from Minneapolis-thank you all SO MUCH for your letters, you are all super and we LOVE to hear from each of you, and your stories and histories!

You are ALL our heroes. We are just a bunch of guys and ladies who are tasked with an un-glamorous job in a not-so-friendly place. Hearing from each and every one of you from home is the high point of all of our days. We get together and read the letters and cards, and open the packages like kids on Christmas morning.

We really enjoy hearing from you all, and hope we can maintain the relationships that we have all started so far. I am not always the best communicator, sometimes due to the mission schedules here, sometimes due to internet availability, but I DO mean it when I say that we TRULY appreciate you.

I APPRECIATE you.

We have a long road ahead of us, and who knows what the future holds in the next 10 or 11 months for us, but from the Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines here in Iraq and Kuwait, WE THANK YOU!!

And have a GREAT Halloween!!


03 Sep 2010
I received my first letter!

Thank you Timber M!

I will write or email soon!

It is ok here in Iraq. Things are busy here, more so than the past rotations, probably due to the drawdown. This keeps us SUPER busy, but it’s ok. Makes the time pass quicker, I suppose…

The weather is still pretty warm here, well over 100 each day, and we still have the almost daily indirect fire attacks, but we are all pretty much used to it. Nobody gets hurt very often and atleast it is a break in the routine!

There are a lot of really good folks here, mostly Army and Air Force, and we all pull together as a team. It is refreshing for me to see the younger ones, holding their heads high, proud of where they come from!

It is nice to receive mail from home, and thanks to all!

R/
OS2(EXW)Mark E. Johnson


23 Aug 2010
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img src="pics/2010/MarkJohnson1.jpg">

Here are a few from my group, hope they go over well!


20 Aug 2010
Wow, after a break at home, the Navy has decided to send me to Iraq (again).

Go figure.

Oh well, it's a change of scenery, and an interesting way to spend my summer vacation, I suppose.

We just hit boots on ground and are already off and running on missions each day.

No rest for the weary, but that is what we are here for!

I don't have any pictures to post right now, but I will put a few up as soon as I can.

I know, I know. Navy.

We are not the stereotypical Navy folks here. We are called US Navy Combat Customs, and it is my second time deployed to this AOR to do Customs.

Anyhow, it is nice to be back in a way, and see how things are changing, and meeting new people....

Hopefully we can meet a few through AnySailor as well!

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(NOTE *): Effective 1 May 2006 this web site added a major layer of security to our contacts' information. This change is necessary to protect our troops and ensure that Any Soldier will continue to operate.
The ONLY changes are that the addresses of our contacts are now hidden and the number of addresses you can get are limited. You may obtain addresses simply by clicking on the link provided and correctly filling out the form, the address will then be emailed to you immediately.

(NOTE **): The number shown is how many times a form was submitted requesting this address. This does NOT necessarily mean that this contact will be helped by that many folks. Rule of thumb is that anything 5 requests or less may in fact be no support at all. No way to tell exactly unless the contact lets you know in his/her update how much support they are getting.

(Note 1.): Note that postage to APO AE and FPO AE (E = Europe) is only to NY where the connection to the APO/FPO (APO = Army Post Office)(FPO = Fleet Post Office) is, or to San Francisco for APO AP and FPO AP (P = Pacific), so you don't pay postage all the way to Iraq/Afghanistan. You might consider picking contacts closer to your mailing area to help cut the cost of mailing. If you live on the East Coast, pick "AE", West Coast, pick "AP", Midwest, well...uh, Thank You for your Support! ;)

New with us (December 2005) you might notice "APO AA" and "FPO AA". This is for units in the Caribbean/South America. Normally. However, due to the nature of some units they may be in Iraq but have an address showing "FPO AA". Mail addresses to "AA" goes out of Miami, Florida.

(Note 2.): Why are military addresses weird? There isn't a street address or city. What gives? Correct, just about everything about the military is weird to civilians. Military units are very mobile, they move around a lot, often they even become part of another unit. The APO (Army Post Office) and FPO (Fleet Post Office) assign APO and FPO numbers as needed, they are NOT static. An APO/FPO number may be for a large unit, or a location. An APO/FPO number for Baghdad today may be for Frankfurt tomorrow.

(Note 3.): The "Expect to not mail past" date is only an approximate and is one of the least reliable things on this web site. It is because of this that you must check often before you send anything to this unit. There are a few reasons this date is not reliable, to include: it IS the Military, we ARE dealing with the APO/FPO/DPO. The only thing that does not change in the military is that things will change. PLEASE NOTE that a Contact is dropped off our active list 30 days PRIOR to their date leaving to help avoid mail bouncing.

(Note 4.): (Removed for OPSEC reasons)

(Note 5.): The lines, "Contact with approx number of Soldiers:" and "Approx how may Female Soldiers:" have NOTHING to do with unit strength. They are approximately how many other Troops the Contacts believe they can get packages to. This helps you understand that you should not send 100 packages to someone who only deals with 10 Troops.
Don't forget that if your package is for a female Soldier, be sure to change "ATTN: Any Soldier®" to "ATTN: Any Female Soldier".

( Note 6.): This is simply where the unit this contact is from. This is NOT a true picture of the folks in the unit as most all units are made up of folks from all over the United States.) A "Composite Unit" is one made up of other units and is usually temporary for a particular mission.

( Note 7.): Updated APO/FPO/DPO mailing restrictions> courtesy of Oconus.com (gone now) (Note: About Restriction "U2": "U2 - Limited to First Class Letters", Box "R" is for retired personnel that live overseas and are still authorized an APO/FPO box. Their address will be something like Box 3345R. Doubt you will see anything like that in Afghanistan or Iraq or ...)(Please Note: Sometime in August 2013, Oconus.com changed the code on their page and our form doesn't work with them anymore, so a link to their page is the best we can do, sorry.)


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Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that all product photographs, descriptions and specifications on this website are accurate. However, inadvertent errors may occur, and changes in design or materials, due to our continual effort to improve products, may result in some change in specifications before subsequent publications are issued.
Any Soldier® reserves the right to modify or change specifications without notice.