Ann Johnson
APRIL 2009 WINNER

ENGLEWOOD - Unless you've been there yourself, there's really no way to imagine what it's like to be deployed and serve your country overseas.

No matter the conflict, or the country in which a soldier is serving, the time and the stress is unimaginable if you haven't worn the boots and the uniform.

Ann Johnson believes that being a parent of a deployed soldier is the next toughest thing.

"I think you can imagine what it's like," said Johnson, parent to a soldier who served in Iraq and fought during the Battle of Fallujah. "Imagine every moment, every second of every day, every waking moment, every 10 minutes in the middle of the night, thinking, 'Is he okay? Is he safe?' and having that happen for two years straight. That's what it's like."

Johnson could hear it in her son's voice as well. Not only was the war taking a toll on his emotions, but he also couldn't stop thinking about home.

Ann Johnson's phone conversations with her son, Paul, motivated her to do everything she could to make him feel just a little bit more comfortable during his service in Iraq.

"It was his voice that inspired me to get him as much stuff as I possibly could," said Johnson. "But I couldn't send enough stuff to my son because he would share every can of peanuts, bag of chips, or extra squirt gun with all the guys in his unit!"

So Johnson asked everyone she could think of to help out, encouraging friends and acquaintances to send letters and care packages to her son's unit. Before she knew it, Ann had the infrastructure to support an army abroad, with an army of 35 volunteers.

Together, they founded www.adoptaussoldier.org, a non-profit website connecting soldiers with supporters all around the world. Ann Johnson, the website's founder and president, is also this month's winner of the 9Who Care Award.

The website provides supporters and troops with email and mailing addresses, allowing them to send letters and care packages to each other. Sometimes, adopted soldiers will even send something back.

"It's really the soldiers we need to think about," said Air Force Technical Sergeant Jon Eberly, who met Johnson after returning home from deployment in Iraq. "These are our brothers and sisters deployed, and they deserve to receive some things in the mail to feel a bit more connected to their home."

You can visit the website at http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/

Please join us in congratulating Ann Johnson, the April 2009 winner of the 9Who Care Award.