President George W. Bush will meet Nadine Gulit when he arrives in Seattle, Washington, on Thursday, June 17, 2004.  Gulit, 73, founded Operation Support Our Troops to show appreciation for our men and women in uniform. 

The USA Freedom Corps is President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation by volunteering two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetime.  Since January 2002, President Bush has met with hundreds of individuals around the country, like Gulit, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

Gulit and her daughter, Sheryl Sheaffer, created Operation Support Our Troops (OSOT) in January 2003 as a way to counter local protests against military action in Iraq.  To show local troops they are appreciated for their service and sacrifice, Gulit stages and attends rallies with OSOT members, and hangs banners of encouragement in prominent locations near Fort Lewis.  Through Gulit’s leadership, OSOT has adopted a variety of military units and sends the troops care packages filled with everything from snacks and toiletries to decorated Christmas trees and stockings to improve holiday morale.  Recently, Gulit and OSOT collected sports balls and Frisbees for the troops to use and pass along to Iraqi children, gathering enough equipment to fill 140 boxes.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps office at the White House to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility.  Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world.  Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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