Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
by Marilyn Grote
Have you ever wondered how OJC's e-mail is taken care of or how adoptions get to the adoption team? The answer to both questions is Dennis Johnson. Dennis is the rock of OJC, the one who keeps OJC on the Internet. He is the Director of NetOps or Internet Operations. Along with the computer operation and the Internet Operation he is now putting up Comm Central and redesigning the OJC web site. Dennis also oversees the Adoption Team, Newsletter and Web Ring. Therefore he is the ”Boss” over everything OJC does on the Internet. Moonduster Chronicle is proud to introduce Dennis Johnson:
Dennis was born in Detroit, Michigan a week before Christmas in 1948, and lived in Michigan until he enlisted in May of 1968. After basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, he did advanced individual training in accelerated courses where there was a shortage of personnel. Two courses, which would normally take at least a year to complete, Dennis completed in 5 1/2 weeks each and was promoted directly from E-1 to E-4.
Dennis' primary MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) changed many times. He did abbreviated training in communications, electronic repair, jump school, and Ranger school. When he left the states his initial duty station was at Kagnew Station, Asmara, Ethiopia. This was an ASA (Army Security Agency) and StratComFac (Strategic Communications Command Facility) station. From here he was often TDY (Temporary Duty) to South East Asia, North Africa, and Europe.
Dennis was promoted to E-5 with less than18 months in the service. After his rotation back to the World, he was stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, home of the big red 1 (1st Infantry Division), where he remained until his honorable discharge.
Dennis recalls when he first stepped off the plane he was met by someone from DoD (Department of Defense). The first words he heard weren't "Welcome Home" but "Thank God you're in civvies. We won't have any trouble getting you through the airport."
Dennis held a lot of jobs in many areas: industrial engineer, production control manager, plant manager, etc., most all in light industry. In the early 80's he had a difficult time staying with any company as they were usually small and many companies were failing. No large company would look at him seriously for the positions where he had experience because he didn't have a degree. So Dennis left the job market and entered college as a full time student. He received a BA in Business Administration and a BS in Systems Analysis, which took him three and a half years of extremely heavy course loads to complete. It certainly paid off for him. After his first semester, he started consulting and writing business software. Dennis never left the software design and programming field after that.
In 1992, he went into the Dallas VA hospital to have surgery for a service-connected disability. Let's just say things didn't go well. He was then rated 100% disabled and he never returned to work. After spending a LOT of time there through many more surgeries, he was rated 200% service-connected disabled. Dennis said, “You have to figure I wasn't feeling well. I never knew someone could be rated more than 100%; always thought 101% meant someone was carving you a headstone! I am now 130% service connected disabled, permanent and total. Gosh, I don't feel THAT bad!”
Dennis put that behind him, and needed something to do with his time. Dennis said “All that time on my back at the VA, and the fact that my youngest son was talking about enlisting had dredged up memories I'd been fighting off for a very long time.”
NL: How did you become involved with OJC?
Since I was so heavily into computers and wasn't getting around much, I finally got on the Internet. Within the first couple days, I'd found Gunny and what was then often referred to as Op: Just Cause. I adopted my first POW/MIA and asked Gunny if there was anything he needed help with.
So Gunny e-mails me back and asks me what I'd be interested in. I said "anything". And I've been doing “anything” ever since...
I think the only thing I never "officially" did was work on the Adoption Team. I've filled a lot of Adoptions but they were usually special requests or filling in for someone. It started out as getting an e-mail saying this or that needed doing. I would respond with either "I'm on it" or simply "Done". I currently hold the position of Director, Internet Operations or just NetOps. I don't particularly enjoy this over the early days but I'm just doing what needs doing.
NL: How have you seen OJC changing from the past to now?
I'll respond from an operational point of view.
We started out with folks hosting pages for us at their sites. Adoptions came into one place, the web ring another, the Yellow Ribbon Campaign another, and so on. It could get pretty confusing when someone would change his or her page to a different URL. Now we have our own domain and have had it about 2 years.
That helped enormously! Since then, we've moved to a different host and most of our membership didn't even know it. That's the way it should be. It allows us much more stability and gives us the chance to centralize operations.
By then we were growing at a pace that required reorganization. I think we were all surprised by the speed of our growth. It was great but required a lot of effort.
At the time of this writing, we are planning a major update to the OJC pages, which will be a new look and a lot of improvements. Every page is being redone to encompass these changes. We decided it was time to present a clean, professional look to OJC. All links are being updated. New pages are being added. More information will be available.
NL: What do you see as the future for OJC?
I'd like to say we're done here and close up shop. But it isn't that easy. I feel that many folks come to OJC to adopt and decide they want (or need) to do more. They start as a volunteer hoping to make a difference. And they do. But it is easy to get impatient. If there were a simple solution it would have been done by now. There is no one single thing we can do that will get the results we want: a full and truthful accounting of all our POW/MIA.
That is not to say we aren't interested in doing more, trying new strategies, working in more areas. We are always interested in any ideas people have to promote awareness and get results. But it just isn't going to happen overnight. We now use "Operation Just Cause... for as long as it takes" as our slogan.
So the trick is to not get discouraged but rather to get creative. I see OJC continuing to grow. With that growth we have the opportunity to do more in more areas. What that will require is our membership's willingness to go to the next level. Right now, all of us have adopted (that's what makes you a member), Most of us have written letters or e-mails. Some have joined the ring. A few have signed on as staff.
We need our members to resubmit their letters. If it has been more than 3 months, they should send them again. If they haven't received a response, they should request one and say their letter is a follow up requesting current status on what is being done.
If you don't know what the Yellow Ribbon Campaign is, please check it out. It is a very positive and inexpensive way to get others involved at a local level.
I'd like to see everyone flying the flag. Which one? Both! The US flag and the POW/MIA flag. Not everyone wants to go that far. But that really isn't a very big step when you consider what it represents. Together, these flags are a statement of patriotism, and a public statement that you are involved in bringing home our POW/MIA.
I know. That isn't NetOps. That is off the Internet. But we can use the Internet as our own communication network of people getting the job done. People that are taking the next step which could be a giant step for many to go from the anonymity of adopting and probably making a remembrance page to joining with others off the Internet by flying the flags, by putting up Yellow Ribbons, by asking your family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers to adopt.
We will try to make it easier. We are developing simple guidelines to get our members active locally.
NL: What would you like to see OJC doing in the next few years?
I would seriously like to see our members getting together. Whether it be to "ribbon" a local park, to go as a group to a public building, requesting they fly the POW/MIA flag with Old Glory, or to meet at the Wall or a traveling Wall. Together, we can accomplish much more than we can individually.
Our personal adoptions will remain the core of our outreach to the American (and global) public. That is how we develop our membership and initially get folks involved.
Our group adoptions will remain in place to serve our military, veteran, social and corporate groups in establishing their involvement.
The ring will remain as a symbol of our commitment and a promise to our POW/MIA that we won't quit until they are all properly accounted for.
We will place more emphasis on the Yellow Ribbon Campaign and develop other campaigns to promote our Cause.
NL: Since you will be the December “Featured Volunteer of the Month” what has OJC accomplished 1999?
We have begun the process of developing a more cohesive alliance between OJC and other groups sharing our goals. Most everyone involved in the POW/MIA issue(s) want the same thing; a true and complete accounting of our still missing heroes. Some are more political than others. Some make their statement in vastly different ways. But we're all trying to get to the same place.
And we can get there from here. Groups both on and off the Internet.
We have managed the adoptions for thousands. We have become more stable without becoming stagnant. We have made solid plans for our future that both encompass who we are now and what we can become. We have designed a new page that will incorporate many ways to contact the staff, get answers to questions, and make contact with each other; Comm Central (for Communication Centralization).
NL: Any thing you want to include funny or serious?
Well, that would bring things back to me and I thought I'd managed to shift this to OJC. OK, to keep this all tied together here goes. What does Npimmwfse stand for? No point in making more work for someone else. That's our own acronym and we'll rib anybody that has to ask what it means. It will be all over the Comm Central page.
NL: Tell us about Comm Central, the differences and what it will be doing for OJC?
I know this is hard for people to imagine it before they actually see it. This question may be moot by the time this gets in the newsletter. Basically, it is a page that includes all the ways possible to communicate with staff and members. Some things will be links off of this page to keep it from getting too long or confusing. Clean and simple, remember?
There are 2 primary reasons for this page:
It will be updated to reflect changes in OJC. It is not intended to replace the main menu. That will be more like an index to find things at ojc.org. Comm Central is an index to people.
NL: What would you like to say to the Staff-Volunteers of OJC?
First, a clarification; All the volunteers at OJC are staff, and of course, all the staff are volunteers. Since OJC accepts no funding and has no dues or the like, no one gets paid.
We couldn't afford to pay our staff what they are worth anyway. What they bring to OJC goes far beyond simple time and energy. They bring a dedication and drive that goes far beyond "helping out". They are each personally involved in our goals. It takes that kind of commitment to deal with the daily operations.
The Adoption Team fills adoptions, which means they spend hours everyday, immersed in incident reports.
They communicate with members and potential members, which can be daunting at times. We use the written word. Not a face-to-face meeting or even a phone call where we can pick up on vocal cues and pauses. Not even a formalized written communication. We use the written word, which nearly everyone has a tendency to imbue with tones and inflections, meanings that were never intended by the sender or meaning that was intended but failed to translate through flat text. So the watchword is patience. It may take several e-mails to clarify or correct a misinterpretation.
They strive to meet the goals, which are ones they've set for themselves.
Right now, we are working with a relatively small group of people. Several of us have multiple duties. There are a lot of people who were at one time active staff but are not currently participating. To those individuals I want to say, "Thank you". You were an integral part of who we were which allowed us to become who we are.
To those of you currently (and for a long time to come I pray!) on staff, again, "Thank you". It is you who keeps us functioning and allows the guy stuck with managing this to actually manage once in a while. This next year will see a lot of change and I hope to be able to share it with each of you.
To those of you who want to participate with operations, I await welcoming you to work that can be tedious and repetitive yet the most rewarding thing you can imagine. "Welcome Home".
NL: Dennis, this is your opportunity to finish with whatever you want to say:
I have 2 sons. The oldest enlisted in the Marines. The youngest enlisted in the Army. I am proud of each one of them for their accomplishments.
I have one true love in my life, my wife Diane. She is my proof of a loving and merciful God.
Between Operation Just Cause and my personal domain, Raptor's Nest, (www.p-o-w.com) I certainly never need worry about not having anything to do. Diane and I are also currently in the process of changing our life style. She is teaching until the end of the school year. During this period we are selling our house and moving into a 5th wheel travel trailer, called a gooseneck in some parts of the country. This takes a lot of downsizing our 22 years of collecting things. We will then travel around the country on a full-time basis.
I'm looking forward to the opportunity to meet with staff and members and the chance to photograph more eagles.
These rigs have certainly come a long way, as has our mode of “camping”. I started out by driving to the end of a road and backpacking in from there. Now we'll have a 40-foot 5th wheel that weighs over 19,000 pounds loaded, and a truck that weighs 4 tons with which to pull it. Corian counter tops, washer and dryer,
3 slide outs (rooms that move in and out), the works. I think I'll call it “The Tent”.
During my first 50 years of life I have witnessed so very much. The world is a far different place than it was when I was a boy. That is both good and bad. Some things I will never miss. Others, like the sense of patriotism and love of God and Country seem to have approached extinction. They have surely made the endangered list.
I feel there is a renewal coming into it's own. People are demanding the right to pray rather than always demanding they not be "exposed" to prayer. If God is contagious may we all be infected! Once again cities are having Veteran's Day Parades, some for the first time in 50 years. And there are people like us, trying to right a terrible wrong.
Sure there are many serious problems. If each person would take a stand on just one thing it would make a monumental difference. I have chosen to stand with OJC.
I thank God I am a part of this. It has changed my life. It has helped me define who I am and what matters to me.
FROM THE OJC STAFF:
From Jodi Harris:
I know that I missed the tributes to Gunny and Steve, and I am very
sorry.
Gunny, Steve and Dennis are the best of the best. They are my BROTHERS.
I
remember the first time they called me their Sister, it brought tears to
my
eyes, it let me know that I was "trusted", respected, loved, and
accepted!
Since that time, they have never shown me any different! I love each of
you!
I met Dennis a few years back after he emailed me and asked me to check
out
his website. I thought "okay, no problem" just another person that
adopted
and wants my opinion. Boy was I wrong! Shortly after that things at
OJC
changed drastically and Dennis was a volunteer. I can't remember what
his
duties were back then, everything moving so fast, I could barely keep
up.
But it was knowing that Dennis was "allowed" to volunteer that gave me
the
encouragement to contact Gunny and offer my services too.
Since then, Dennis and I have grown to be very good friends. I know
that I
can count on him for ANYTHING!!! I've talked with Dennis only 2 times
in the
past few years, but each time I've been so comfortable speaking with
him.
He has always been there when I've needed him and he's always listened
to my
suggestions, comments, critism, even when my mind was not straight! I'm
very
suprised that I didn't drive him crazy, but he still was here for me!
Dennis, I know this is for you but I would like to include Gunny and
Steve
also, just to let you know that I love you dearly and thank you for
being
here for me and giving me the opportunity to help make OJC the best! I
love
you!
Sister to Brothers,
Jodi
From George “Gunny” Fallon: Can't write a short statement about Dennis... What I have to say about him would take a book. Let me try and be brief though...Dennis and Diane are just plain great people. To know them is to love them.
Because of Dennis, OJC survived some serious hard times. There was no technical crisis that Dennis didn't have a solution for. When the disasters hit two years ago, Dennis and Cheryl got together and really
pulled our fat out of the fire. Dennis started out with us in a small way but whenever there was something that needed to be done fast and done right, Dennis would step up to the plate. He always delivered.
Before I knew it, I was relying on Dennis for everything but my breakfast. It was a natural progression that he should take the helm as Director of Net Ops.
From the day he came on board he has been there 100%. Whenever I needed something done, he was the man. He has never let me or OJC down... I have met few people in my life as dedicated to the POWMIA issue as Dennis.
If I had to describe Dennis in one word, it would be "BROTHER".
Dennis Johnson's Brother Gunny
From Steve Golding:
When I think of Dennis several words come to mind. Organized. Dedicated. Organized. Committed. Organized. Loyal. Organized.
Dennis is the lifeline of OJC. He is the workhorse, never complaining, always helpful. Without him I think that it would be chaotic here. My schedule is quite full and lately I have little or no time to do my normal tasks--haven't even been able to go after good ole Joe Schlatter on the newsgroups because the plate has been overflowing. Without Dennis to operate OJC, I do not know that I could carry on. I do not know that Gunny could carry on. Dennis is an intricate part of OJC and his import should not be lost.
He's been a brother, someone to go to when my personal life turned into mayhem and he's also someone I can bounce things off; a valued friend and counsel.
I've met a lot of terrific people at OJC, and Dennis is among the very best. I feel that it is safe to say without him there would be no OJC. Thank you Dennis doesn't seem to cut it, but that's all I can offer.
By the way, did I mention that he was organized? That pretty much says it all...
From Chuck “Doc” Stewart:
When I was forced to step down from OJC Net Operations due to health reasons I was somewhat hesitant because I thought I would be putting more of a work burden on Gunny. I couldn't have been more wrong. Up came Dennis and I must say that OJC Net Operations has never been the same since. He took over the reigns, went and continues to go full bore. OJC is blessed to have such a dedicated person in charge of what really is the backbone of OJC. Without Net Operations there would still be an OJC but it would be silent as was the POW/MIA issue before the Internet. Net Operations has helped bring the POW/MIA issue into full view of the American public and those in Washington KNOW we are here in numbers and we are here to stay until every last one of our men are home. As with the whole OJC volunteer staff, Dennis gives selflessly of his time and is always right there to answer any questions on any issue related to OJC. And let me assure ou that he does much more than just answer questions. I hope that we always have Dennis laying a leading role in OJC for it will be reassuring to know that it will continue to run smoothly if we do. Good job brother and THANK YOU.
Doc
From Barbara Fitzgerald-Malone:
Dennis Johnson has got to be the hardest-working individual for the POW/MIA cause that I have come across since working in OJC. He is relentless in his efforts to get the government to own up to its responsibility to our missing and unaccounted for.
He never seems to rest. He served his country in the Vietnam War and continues to serve by helping veterans and the families of the POW/MIA's. He is there whenever you need his help, his advice, a solution to a problem; whatever you ask of him, he takes care of.
I feel privileged to work alongside someone like Dennis. I am also proud to call him my friend.
From Marilyn Grote:
I have worked with Dennis concerning Adoption Team business for many months. Truly Dennis is the best that there could ever be. He has a great sense of humor and is always available to help and give support. Dennis has dedication to OJC and the POW/MIA beyond anything I could ever imagine and works tirelessly to continue the fight to bring them all back home. OJC's motto is “for as long as it takes” for Dennis you could add “and doing whatever it takes.” I am happy to call him boss (which he never asks anyone to do), friend and OJC family. Dennis, thank you for all the help. Don't know what I would do without you. MG
1. It gives everyone a single place to find out how to contact someone or a team so they can get answers quickly.
2. It gives everyone a single place to find out how to contact someone or a team so we don't have to spend time redirecting everything to where it goes.
