Gary Sinise: An American Hero

[Geee]

American Thinker:

I'd like to tell you about an American hero I know: Gary Sinise.

Gary, as you know (unless you live under a rock), played Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump and currently stars in CSI New York. He boasts too many other award-winning roles on stage and screen to list. What you probably don't know is how much time, energy, and money Gary spends to serve our troops, both active-duty and veterans, and their families.

I first saw Gary perform in the basement of a Catholic church in Highland Park, IL about a million years ago. The lighting was rotten and the seats were uncomfortable, but the acting was like nothing I'd witnessed -- ever. To watch this man on stage was to step into the mind and life of the character he played. With all that in mind, though, I had no idea at fourteen that I would idolize Gary one day for something having absolutely nothing to do with his acting chops.

Cut to present: while still acting in a long-running hit show on broadcast television, Gary has dedicated his life to our troops. This man is driven like no one I have ever seen to make sure that our active-duty and veteran military men and women are cared for.

Gary is one of my heroes -- he has realized a calling that takes him from one corner of the world to another in support of our troops and their families. He does it all: he raises funds for his and other foundations, builds houses, plays music, and visits war zones. He manages all this at great personal cost, including loss of time with family, grave danger to life and limb when he goes to combat zones, and monetary expenditure from his own pockets.

Recently, he formed The Gary Sinise Foundation. Though in its infancy, it is an amazing organization, dedicated to supporting those who protect us. Traveling with "The Lt. Dan Band," he plays music for our troops, most recently making another trip to Afghanistan to bring a little bit of home to our brave fighters "in-country." No combat zone is too dangerous for Gary and the band to play. No soldier, airman, seaman, or Marine is too far away for Gary to see and thank personally.

In addition to the band, Gary is currently building homes for multiple-amputee veterans. At present, there are at least ten homes on the drawing board, with more on the way, for more than forty triple- and quadruple-amputees, with some homes already occupied by their new owners. The cost to build these smart houses is immense -- between $500K and $1M -- and Gary has spent a great deal of his own money to launch this endeavor.

[pollyannaish]

He's one of my heroes too. Not only a good American, but a decent man and a great (albeit often underrated) actor.

 

And for the girls: Easy on the eyes in a REAL sort of way.