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'Disconnected From Our Defenders': Gary Sinise Urges Americans to Step Up

In AARP interview, ‘Forrest Gump’ star calls for stronger national bond with veterans

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Scott Schaefer

Gary Sinise is an actor, musician and humanitarian. Beloved in the broader military community, his Gary Sinise Foundation serves America’s veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. Established in 2011, it raised $282 million in its first decade.

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You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.

As the bassist in the Lt. Dan Band, he has performed over 530 shows at hospitals, benefit concerts and military bases, at home and abroad. Sinise is also the author of the best-selling book Grateful American: A Journey From Self to Service. He recently became an AARP ambassador for veterans and military families.

Sinise, best known for his iconic role as Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 blockbuster film Forrest Gump, sat down to talk with Toby Harnden, editor in chief of AARP Veteran Report, for its inaugural newsletter. A British-born veteran of the Royal Navy, Toby is a naturalized American citizen who was a war reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq and is the author of three books about the military and terrorism.​ ​

TH: You come from a family of military service. What did you learn from your relatives?​​

GS: So much of what I'm doing now, regarding veterans, starts right there with my family members. My grandfather Daniel Sinise served in the U.S. Army in World War I and was an ambulance driver in France during the Battles of the Meuse-Argonne. He and my grandmother had three sons — two of them served in World War II, and my dad, Robert, the youngest, was in the Navy during the Korean War.

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When I met my wife back in the ’70s, she introduced me to her two brothers — both were Vietnam combat veterans. Her twin sister served in the U.S. Army and married a Vietnam veteran who had been a combat medic. Their son also served in the Army, deploying twice to Afghanistan. Our Vietnam veterans came home to a nation that turned its back on them, and many of them went into the shadows. That prompted me to start supporting various Vietnam veteran groups in the Chicago area, beginning in the early ’80s. In the mid-’90s, I had the opportunity to audition for Forrest Gump and play Lt. Dan. I felt I was somehow well prepared to play that character.

TH: You channeled that connection and experience into your portrayal of Lt. Dan as somebody who faces great adversity but prevails.​​

GS: Yes, after losing his legs in combat, it’s a happy ending for Lt. Dan. Toward the end of the film, he’s standing up on new legs, he’s successful in business, he’s married, and he’s happy. He goes through all the natural things that somebody losing his legs in war goes through — anguish, anger, despair, questioning. We see him experience loneliness, isolation, alcohol abuse — things that can happen to so many of our warriors.​​I had the great honor of having my brother-in-law Jack, the combat medic in Vietnam, on the set of Forrest Gump. I brought him down when we were shooting the battle scenes. In Vietnam, he’d hung his dog tags on a string of rosary beads he’d made from string and rope. I wore those dog tags in the movie.

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TH: What effect did the 9/11 terrorist attacks have on you?

GS: Everything in my life, the many years of support for our nation’s defenders, seemed to have prepared me for what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. I write about this in my book. I knew I couldn’t just live on as I always had. I felt called to serve and wanted to do more. It was during the ’80s and ’90s that the seeds had been planted. And after 9/11, the tree grew and the branches went everywhere. I did whatever I could, wherever I could, to support those who were serving, in response to that horrific day. And I haven’t stopped.​

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TH: A quick thought experiment. Lt. Dan would be getting on in years now, well into his 70s. How do you think he would view the Gary Sinise Foundation today?

GS: Well, let me see. Give me a minute, I'll ask him! [Laughs.] You know, after the movie, I was invited to the Disabled American Veterans convention, and they were giving me an award for playing Lt. Dan. I walked out on the stage and realized there were 2,000 Lt. Dans out there, missing limbs and sitting in wheelchairs, with all kinds of injuries. That was very powerful and galvanizing in turning me toward this mission of service to our veterans. So I think Lt. Dan is probably happy that I didn't walk away from that moment and just go play golf or sit on the beach.​

TH: How would you recommend someone approach a veteran?​​

GS: Asking them about their service can open all kinds of doors. For veterans, having a conversation with a stranger who really wants to know what they did for us — that can change their whole day. There’s a certain small section of the population that serves in uniform. And then there’s the larger percentage of the population that really can be disconnected from our defenders.​​ All I started doing was showing up, patting veterans on the back and talking to them. Little gestures can go a long way. There are veterans in every corner of the country, and you can reach out and show them you appreciate them.

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TH: You outline some profound personal encounters with veterans in your book Grateful American. Do any recent encounters stick out in your mind?

GS: There are so many stories. I recently spoke to a young Marine, Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, who lost an arm and a leg in the bombing at Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021. He’s going through recovery at Walter Reed hospital, has had multiple surgeries, but he’s pushing on and pushing through it. He's a Marine — he never quits.

Another Afghanistan veteran is Lt. Col. Scott Mann, a former Green Beret who was part of Operation Pineapple Express [veterans who helped evacuate Americans and Afghans in 2021]. He’s written a book about this mission and also created a powerful play called Last Out, about serving in Afghanistan, losing friends and the challenges after war. Scott was inspired in part by a story I tell in my book about Tracers, a play written by Vietnam veterans that I directed in Chicago in 1984. Returning from war, Scott was really struggling. He was suicidal at one point and found that storytelling is a great way to heal.

TH: This interview marks the launch of the AARP Veteran Report newsletter. You and I have talked about its mix of inspiring stories of service and sacrifice combined with practical help and information. There are lots of distractions and demands on everyone’s time these days. Why should people subscribe?​

GS: AARP Veteran Report will play a significant role in raising awareness, offering help and telling personal stories of service. AARP has a vast reach, and the potential audience is huge. We have around 18 million veterans in this country. They are our defenders, and we can never do enough for them, as far as I’m concerned. I applaud AARP for extending its hand to as many veterans as possible. I’m proud to be an AARP ambassador.​

You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published every two weeks. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.

Toby Harnden is the senior editor of AARP Veteran Report. A naturalized American citizen who was born in Britain, he spent almost a decade in the Royal Navy before embarking on a career in journalism. As a foreign correspondent, he reported from 33 countries, including extensively as a war reporter in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a recipient of the Orwell Prize and the author of three books, most recently First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. More about his work can be found at www.tobyharnden.com.

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