Bush meets Issaquah grandmother

By Ashley Bach
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES President Bush is greeted by Nadine Gulit of Issaquah as he arrives at Boeing Field last night. Bush honored her for her work starting Operation Support Our Troops, which holds rallies and sends care packages to troops.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

Related stories Nethercutt gets a lift from Bush Fort Lewis visit first since FDR

Days later, Gulit, her daughter and a couple other people took up the call. They met at a rally near Tacoma and began gathering e-mail addresses.

Over several months, the mailing list grew to a few thousand people and Operation Support Our Troops was born.

They have since grown into a powerful group, holding rallies across Western Washington and sending care packages to thousands of troops.

They have become so high-profile that people e-mail and call from across the country, asking how to start similar groups.

At 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, someone else also noticed.

Gulit, the self-proclaimed "grandma of the group," met President Bush last night after he landed at Boeing Field. She was one of about 300 people Bush has recognized in various cities for "exemplary" volunteer service as part of his USA Freedom Corps program.

The 73-year-old retiree from Issaquah, with three children and five grandchildren, was thrilled. But she quickly deflected attention to the group she helped start, going so far as to ask White House officials to delete her name from press releases.

"It's not a one-man show," she said. "Everybody has put their love and heart into supporting our troops."

Since the war in Iraq started more than a year ago, Gulit has emerged as an outspoken voice in support of the military, regardless of the reasons behind the conflict.

She seethes at many anti-war protests, particularly when they take place near military bases.
 
Her effort is personal. Grandson Scott just arrived back at his base after 10 months in Afghanistan and will come home next week. Another grandson will be home on leave from an Army base in Alaska.

In the meantime, the group continues to grow. The mailing list is up to 8,000, and sister groups have sprung up in Colorado, Oregon, California and North Carolina. Gulit sends out a "cheat sheet" for people wanting to start a rally, and it shows her cause can be pretty simple.

"Hold a flag and they will come," she said. "That's the short version."

Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com