29 Nov 2012:
I just want to send my last update and thank everyone for the wonderful support.
We are turning around and heading home for 2 months then redeploying all over again for another fun filled 6 month cruise.
I hope you all have a great holidays and Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year!
Love n peace and if anyone gets out of line send us to straighten them out!
Thanks!
Steve
23 Nov 2012
I am sure some of you have heard that the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower will be returning back to Norfolk Virginia. Well should return home before the end of December. Then we will redeploy a couple months later to return to the Gulf to support our troops in Afghanistan.
I also want to send my belated Thanksgiving wishes to my friends and supporters.
I will send out my shout outs to my great supporters on my next update, I just wanted to update all of the supporters that we will be stateside by the end of December, for anyone planning on sending any care packages.
I have been blessed with some great supporters, I will not lie but I am very happy for the short break and reunite with my family.
God bless
Steve
01 Nov 2012
Well at the 4th month of deployment, now we just need 5 more months to go by. I cannot ask for any better supporters….Thank you for being so kind to us and sending some love in boxes. The support helps fight the blues or boredom or the workload.
I want to take the time to say hope no one or friends or family were affected by Hurricane Sandy. Our group is from Virginia and we had the minimum affects. I live by the water so normal high tides street gets flooded. We had about 5ft in front of the house but all went well for us on the IKE.
Hope everyone enjoyed kids knocking on your doors and trick or treating! Next year got to go all out with my kid. November is here so hopefully you will all be spending your Thanksgiving dinner with love ones. Cheers to all of you bundle up it is getting chilly everywhere…expect here..lol.
Now for some sea stories, we had a lovely and splendid four day port visit to Dubai. This is a great place to realize that there are some pretty rich people in the Middle East. When you go to the mall and there is a line of fancy Ferraris, you know you are not at your local mall. This city changes every time I have visited it. Pretty amazing buildings and best of all REAL FOOD! So sushi was at the top of my list. We also just lay around and relaxed. Of course provided myself a couple of opportunities to skype with my wife and take a peek my seven year old boy because no matter how much your wife tells you your son misses you. He does not want to spend too much time in front of that camera. I am sure our young sailors got some American fast food and got some shopping done. The amazing thing is that all 6,000 sailors made it back alive and we are back on watch protecting our side of the world. Thank you all for what you do for us.
I would like to thank the following supporters.
Sandy P. from Poway Cali….Thanks for the breakfast box!!!
Wayne and Edith H. from The heartland of America! Papillion NE. Thank you for the large assortment of food and magazines! Hope you enjoyed Pensacola cradle of Naval aviation!
Ginger and Larry M. from Glen Burnie MD…thanks for the yummies and the emails.
Jan B. Glen Burnie MD AAWTT is doing such a great job thanks.
Adopt A War fighter Tiger Team rrrrrr!
Ashley R. and Ashleigh F. from Cali!! Thanks girls they loved the snacks and magazines…. The lucky winner of AXE spray wants to say he smells like man!
Pat S. and the paper crafters thank you for all of the wonderful cards.
Virginia G. HGS American Leigon Aux Unit 138. Thank you.
Donald and Alicia F. from Virginia Beach VA Thank you.
JR Cigars. Smoke them if you got them.. thanks!
Ingrid S. thank you..
Cardinal G!
Melville and Virginia G. from Tampa FL. Thanks
Claire S.
King David Lodge #50 from thurmount
King David Lodge # 50 International Order of Odd Fellows Thurmont MD
American Military Missions from Zuni Virginia….Sonja H. you are doing a great job thanks!
Oh and my wonderful wife Macarena !!! .
I am sorry for being so needy ,
*******I would also like to ask for cigars, the older guys share and social, if you can send cigars we would really love to smoke them!!!! **********************
Disposable Tupperware or food containers?
Water bottles
Protein shakers
Protein bars
Breakfast bars
Beef jerky
Laundry pods
Magazines
socks
shirts
Thanks again…..
Very Respectfully
CWO 2 Steven C Lopez
18 Oct 2012
I can proudly say we have done 4 months away from our family and love ones. We have missed summer and now it is fall. We will miss winter but that does not bother me, not a snow guy but do love to see my 7 year old open some Christmas gifts and hug and kiss my wife on New Year’s Eve. So as long as the holidays go by that means we are running down the time out here. The packages are SUPER!! My guys are loving it and enjoying all that Halloween candy. Thank God we have free Dental plan. The heat does not take a break out here but we have all those drink additives to make this ship’s water taste like fruit punch!! LOL!
We did a swim day were we jump off the aircraft Carrier’s elevators which are about over 35ft from the water. The jump was a blast after your feet stop stinging. You floated in the most amazing turquoise blue water. I wish we would do that every week. So there is fun and sun out here.
I wish you all a great and safe Halloween. I should be writing again for Thanksgiving but you never know what is around the corner in the Military.
I also want to call attention to our Navy’s 237th birthday.
Well this is where I do my shout out and want to thank my supporters again!
THANKS GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MEAN IT!!!
Larry and Ginger M. Glen Burnie MD
Jan B. Glen Burnie MD
Adopt A Warfighter Tiger Team
Sandy P. Poway Ca
King David Lodge # 50 International Order of Odd Fellows Thurmont MD
Sonja H. Zuni Va
American Military Missions Zuni Va
Ingrid S. Virginia Beach Va
Melville and Virginia G. from Tampa Florida
HGS American legion Unit 138
Patricia S. from Germantown MD
Claire S.
Donald and Alicia F. Va beach Va
J&R Cigars Burlington NC
Very Respectfully
CWO 2 Steven C Lopez
02 Oct 2012
Ok, Any Sailor supporters I wanted to thank you all for the amazing packages and letters from the great Americans that are thinking of us and support us out here. We really appreciate all of the support, every time a box shows up it is my pleasure to contact some of the Sailors and pass out as I refer to the contents of the care packages “Love from the states” They feel important and feel thought of. So it is my pleasure to watch them walk away with a big smile. Well only 7 more lovely months out here but who is counting and we don’t mind watching Monday night football on Tuesday when there is TV….So please enjoy life and live it to the fullest because that is the fuel that keeps us going out here!
Thank you all even the ones that stopped by peeked on my page and thank you all that have contacted me and my sailors. God bless you all.
Carole W from Kansas thank you for the wonderful gifts and the guys loved the AXE products. My guys smell absolutely amazing if…. I was a 20 year old girl; it would have made my day, lol. They do not stink and they are happy and that is all that matter. Thanks
Jan B from Maryland. Thank you for all the goodies and for the swapping of stories via email!
Ingrid S from Virginia Beach. Thanks for taking time out to send some kind words.
The Major Family from Tisbury Ma. Loved the Halloween Card!
Katie C and Brian A from New York, thank you for the package and the baked goods where amazing. Great couple picture!
Melissa R from Savannah, Mo. Thank you for the snacks and goodies, they enjoyed everything.
Well I am sleepy and going to bed. Thanks again from far far away…
18 Sep 2012
Good day, well I have some updates and some sea stories as we like to say onboard naval vessels. We did pull in a port in the Middle East and relaxed in the heat. I had a couple of opportunities to skype with my wife and see my seven year old boy bounce around the family room. Thank God there is an internet that works like advertise, the ship’s internet is worst than unplugged dial up internet. Keeping up with life is a constant struggle with slow to none internet it is just frustrating. Like I said I have been in the Navy before the internet, so I get it, enough of the Booing…the Sailors enjoyed some American fast food and got some shopping done. I am sure they also drank some refreshing adult beverages, all 6,000 sailors made it back alive and we are currently floating and protecting the soldiers on the ground. I did get to go on a few trips, one was right up my alley to Afghanistan to take care of some business and the other was a training event. The only bad thing about going in country is taking Malaria pills for the next month. Our squadron has a new facebook page HS-5 World’s famous Nightdippers, if you like to see more pics of what we do. Thank you all for what you do for us. Love opening boxes and giving the younger guys some love from the USA. I tell them” look they do care”!
I would like to thank the following supporters.
Ashley Richards and Ashleigh Fredrick from Cali!! Thanks girls they loved the snacks and magazines…. The lucky winner of AXE spray wants to say he smells like man!
Sandy Pratt from Poway Cali….Thanks for the chocolate filled box!!!
American Military Missions from Zuni Virginia….Sonja Hardison you are doing a great job thanks!
Oh and my wonderful wife Macarena !!! Thanks honey.
I am sorry for being so needy ,
*******I would also like to ask for cigars, the older guys share and social, if you can send cigars we would really love to smoke them!!!! **********************
Disposable Tupperware or food containers?
Water bottles
Protein shakers
Magazines
Socks
shirts
I just put what these guys ask me. Thanks a million! I will send more pics
Very Respectfully
CWO 2 Steven C Lopez
21 Aug 2012
Frist of all I want to take time to thank my supporters.
Sandy Pratt….thanks for the chicken and the laughs.
Books Redux!!! Marian Hawley ….Thank you…many happy readers onboard the IKE.
Grandma Barbara Harden.
Thank you all for your support.
Well just to give you all an idea what it is to operate in the middle of the ocean surrounded by sand and torched by the sun. Like I said surrounded by deserts in the ocean, the day starts out around 90 degrees working to about over 120 degrees. It is an all metal flight deck on an Aircraft Carrier with over 70 Jet airplanes turning their engines taking off and landing all on this floating flight deck, which is about size of a football field. The sun is inescapable for your 12 hour shift and these great ships were developed for the cold war..aka a longtime ago when the bad guys were living in much colder waters. So it is hot and sweaty and things are trying to crush you coming and going. These kids will do this almost every day for more than a half year out here.
We have close to XXXX Sailors out here and whatever little stuff is out here is snatched up…so anything that makes life better is approved and appreciated.
If I must be specific…
Any kind of anti moisture shirt…or T shirts any color ….will do.
Socks…..any color will do, after a day you just ring them out when your done.
Foot powder
Anything to add to water to stay hydrated
Harley parts……wait who put that there?
Anything helps and thank you for helping my kids out here.
Steve
28 Jun 2012
My name is Steven Lopez first of all, I would like to take time out and thank all of my supporters when I was over in Iraq. I was then filling a Senior enlisted position and the support put many smiles on my fellow soldiers and Marines. I am currently out onboard the U.S.S Dwight D Eishenhower. I am now a Chief warrant Officer and my job is a maintenance officer with a helicopter squadron. We have over XXXX Sailors working on the ship. My Sailors are proud and hardworkers, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The living condition on the ship are good and the Sailors live in multiple man berthing. Some of the berthing or living spaces house up to 200 men in bunks. The food is good but we are a floating city and we get supplies shipped to us when it is operationaly possible. This means when the snacks or whatever supplies from the states arrive are pretty much sold out as soon as they are on the shelf. There are microwaves and washing machine onboard. The wash is bundled together in big groups, the clothes normally absorb other colors and all the grease that it was washed with. There are also washers to do your own laundry with waiting lines. The working enviroment on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is very dangerous, dirty and very hot. The electricity is 110 volts. If I had to say what would make these Sailors happy are snacks of all types healthy and non healthy. work out clothing which as I mentioned gets washed and gets ruined very quickly. Large volume of sailors in a close living space. So odor control will help, Air fresheners. I am pretty sure anything these Sailors recieve will help and make them understand that American do care. thanks