Gary Sinise Salutes American Patriots

My uncles Jerry, who was afloat in the Pacific when the Japanese surrendered in 1945, and Jack, a navigator on a B-17 bomber, served in WWII. My father, Robert Sinise, who was the youngest, served in the Navy during the Korean War. 

I began to become more conscious of what my relatives had given when my wife Moira and I got together as a couple a few years after the Vietnam War ended, and I began to meet her family members who had served in the U.S. Army.

One of Moira’s brothers, Arthur Harris, was a helicopter pilot who had flown 800 combat hours in Vietnam. The other, Boyd McCanna "Mac" Harris, graduated from West Point with the class of ’66 and had been to Vietnam twice, first as a lieutenant and platoon leader, and second as a captain and company commander. He’d received the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. 

Moira’s twin sister, Amy, went through ROTC in college and joined the Army after graduation. She married Jack Treese, who’d served as a combat medic with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, earning two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts; he spent 22 years in the Army. 

When I was given the part in Forrest Gump of Lt. Dan, a combat-wounded double amputee who went through some tough times, but ultimately prevailed to live a happy and fulfilled life, I brought Jack down to the set when we were filming the battle scenes. In the movie, I wore his dog tags, which he’d hung on a string of rosary beads in Vietnam. 

After our nation began deploying troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, with many returning with severe wounds, I wanted to help these real-life “Lt. Dans” and their families, and so the mission expanded. After many years, in 2011, I founded the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Our mission statement is simple, but profound: “At the Gary Sinise Foundation, we serve our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. We do this by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities.”

We put a lot of thought into those words, and each day we continue to honor our mission statement as we follow our core values of integrity, service and commitment. At the Gary Sinise Foundation we believe that freedom and security are precious gifts that we, as Americans, should never take for granted. There is a cost of our freedom and security, a price that is paid by those who are willing to protect it.

The journey always continues and along with the sobering moments, there’s been a lot of fun along the way­. For the past 20 years I have donated my time playing 546 concerts with the Lt. Dan Band. Lifting the spirits of our troops and veterans is at the heart of the mission. It’s taken me all over the world. And last year, part of the journey was a physical one as the Foundation relocated from California to Tennessee, close to many veterans. 

The military service of my family, which has been so supportive of my work, has not stopped. My nephew Gavin Treese served as a Marine and then in in the Army, including two deployments to Afghanistan. He is now training to become a police officer.

This Fourth of July, I urge everyone to think about doing something a little extra for our veterans. Every American has a part to play. And while we can never do enough to show our gratitude to our nation’s defenders, I believe we can always do a little more.

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