After nine months overseas, Almaden resident Christina Clark welcomed home a very special soldier, her fiancé , Petty Officer Second Class Brian Johnson.

Clark and Johnson met through an Internet pen pal group a year and a half ago while he was deployed aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam in Okinawa. “He needed someone to talk to,” Clark said. “In addition to doing the care packages, I was always looking for new pen pals. I found him through the Navy, got his e-mail address and then we started writing back and forth.”

Following five months of correspondence, Johnson drove up to San Jose over Memorial Day weekend in 2002 to see Clark while on leave. “We were anxious to meet each other and take it to the next level,” he said. “It was my grandma's and my father's birthday and he got thrown into the family,” added Clark. “Right off the bat, they all fell in love with him.”

Johnson popped the question last Thanksgiving during what they explained as a family affair. “Everybody knew but me,” she said. “Brian called and asked my dad for permission. Then he proposed to me in front of my entire family. They're important to me and so he wanted them to be included.”

For the past eight years, Clark, an elementary school teacher at Holy Cross, has devoted much of her time toward fundraising and sending care packages to enlisted men and women all over the world. Her mission started humbly when a friend joined the Marine Corps and she began sending care packages to him. Over the years, her dedication grew to include an estimated 2,000 care packages each month. “It just kind of snowballed,” she exclaimed. “One care package turned into 20, then 50, then 100. Now it's thousands.” Since then, she has joined forces with the Red Cross Quality of Life Troop Support Care Package Program and continues her ongoing quest to deliver some of the comforts of home to those serving our country.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Johnson grew up in Houston, Texas before enlisting in the Navy during his senior year in high school. Ready for the opportunity to travel and get a better education, he left for boot camp two weeks after graduation and has remained with the Navy for the past six years as an electronics repair technician.

The USS Antietam was deployed in January 2003 in an effort to maintain peace and stability in Japan, China and Korea while the Kittyhawk battle group went to the gulf. Although there are no current plans for long-term deployment, Johnson remains ready to go again if called. “Right now, we are the surge ready battle group,” Johnson said. “If something really bad broke out, we'd probably head out. As of now, I'll only be on the ship until next April and then transfer to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield.”

When asked about the anti-war sentiment in the U.S. during the war, Johnson admitted that morale was pretty low. “As far as people not being supportive, it hurt,” he said. “But we knew there were others who did support us, so it kind of balanced out.”

“It's upsetting to see the lack of enthusiasm in supporting these men and women,” Clark added. “People don't understand that they're still out there, that it's never over.”

Johnson returned to duty on Sept. 25 and is currently stationed at the 32 nd Street Naval Base in San Diego. He plans to re-enlist next year when his current tour expires. In addition to the pending nuptials, his long-term goals are to earn a degree in electronics, get a job and support his future family.

While Johnson serves out the remainder of his tour in San Diego, Clark remains busy teaching and planning their wedding, scheduled for Jan. 10 at St. Anthony's Church in San Jose, with the reception to follow at Cinnabar Hills. Because the couple will call Travis Air Force Base their new home, Clark will be leaving Holy Spirit in December. “Hopefully we can get a branch of the Quality of Life Program started up there and I'll be able to continue to get the word out that we need to support our troops,” she said. “I want to enjoy married life for a while too.”

The Red Cross Quality of Life Troop Support Program ensures that 100 percent of funds collected go directly to care packages for the soldiers. For more information, visit http://chapters.redcross.org/ca/scv/news_humanity2.html