Gary Sinise Salutes Families of Fallen Soldiers

Matthew became a Green Beret, the toughest of the tough. He deployed twice to Iraq where he helped capture more than 200 insurgents. During a Christmas Eve mission, his team came under heavy attack. A badly wounded sergeant needed blood to survive; Matthew donated two pints of his own before swiftly returning to the fight.

In the intervening years, I have had the honor of becoming friends with Matthew’s parents — Al, a former Massachusetts state police captain, and Kathy. Along with their daughters, Matthew's sisters Lisa and Melissa, they founded the Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Pucino Memorial Foundation to keep their fallen hero Matthew’s memory alive, honoring his legacy of service by providing for the physical and emotional needs of combat wounded soldiers and their families.

Another bereaved family member who is determined to give back is Regina Sather, whose husband Staff Sgt. Chad Simon, 32, died in August 2005 from combat wounds sustained in Iraq. Regina says Chad was a skilled marksman and mechanic, but also a practical joker. She also says Chad was an amazing father to Dylan, who was just five at the time.

Regina has dedicated her life to raising Dylan and channeling her pain to help others who have lost loved ones serving their country. I am grateful and honored that Regina is now an employee of the Gary Sinise Foundation, doing an amazing job working on our Snowball Express initiative.

Snowball Express serves the families of our fallen military heroes as well as families of fallen first responders. We are committed to year-round support for these families, encouraging them to make new memories, and helping to provide opportunities for them to connect with others who have suffered a similar loss.

Family members of fallen soldiers gather for a Snowball Express event.

Courtesy Gary Sinise Foundation

Snowball Express was actually started in 2006 as its own 501(c)(3) and I began supporting it the following year by donating my band to play for the children. Each year I would return to play for them, hundreds of children being flown in free of charge by American Airlines for an all-expenses paid trip. In 2018, we folded Snowball into the Gary Sinise Foundation as an initiative under our Relief and Resiliency program, and moved our annual event to Disney World.

Last month, along with our presenting sponsor American Airlines, once again the Gary Sinise Foundation was proud to host more than 1,800 military children and adults at our Snowball Express "Disney in December" event, while this year adding a second event for over 300 families — 646 children — of fallen first responders. Over the course of five days, these richly deserving families experienced the magic of Disney World and spent time with the only people who can truly understand the healing journey they are on: each other.

This annual event is about honoring the fallen while supporting and empowering the families left behind. In the Remembrance Garden, a large room decorated with American flags representing each fallen hero family in attendance, the children and surviving spouse have a quiet place to sit and spend time with their hero. And I was honored once again to perform with my Lt. Dan Band as the families were given a red-carpet welcome by members of the Patriot Guard Riders and the hundreds of volunteers who support our event each year.

My decades as an advocate for veterans, first responders and their families have taught me that the defense of our country and protection of our cities can come at a very high price. Lives can change in an instant and we can never do enough for those who have borne the brunt of these ultimate sacrifices — the families of the fallen.

Great Americans like Matthew Pucino and Chad Simon who have given their lives in defense of freedom, along with Gold Star family members like Al, Kathy, Lisa and Melissa Pucino, Regina and Dylan Sather, and countless others, are the reason I continue to do what I do. For many years now, my mission has been to help lift the spirits of our defenders and their families, a mission of respect, honor and gratitude, of helping their families through difficult times, and of doing all I can to serve and honor them.

We must ensure that the painful sacrifices of freedom’s defenders and their families are never taken for granted or forgotten. We must embrace the opportunities that freedom gives us, and support those who stand guard over it.

For me to be able to wrap my arms around the families of the fallen and tell them that we love them, appreciate them and always remember them is the least that I can do. The painful, healing journey that begins with an Angel Flight lasts a lifetime for those families. God bless you all and thank you.​