
In 1994, Gary Sinise was cast to play the memorable Lt. Dan in the blockbuster movie Forrest Gump. That role changed everything for him, not just in terms of his acting career, but also as a person. Though Sinise had never served himself, after the movie, he found himself being approached by service members – and especially veterans – who thanked him for his thoughtful portrayal of the character. Until that movie, wounded warriors were typically portrayed in movies as hopeless and broken. But though Lt. Dan went through a lot of tough things that really resonated with the veterans, his character was eventually able to make a new life for himself. What Sinise had been thinking of as a relatively small part in a Hollywood movie had brought hope to many of the veterans who saw it. The actor was move by the soldiers’ stories, and wanted to do something to help, so he joined the USO. But he quickly realized that wasn’t enough; he knew he needed to do more.
From those unexpected beginnings came the Gary Sinise Foundation, an organization that raises money to help active military, veterans, first responders, and their families. Here are a few of the Foundation’s major programs and what they do:
- RISE Program (Restoring Independence, Supporting Empowerment): adapts/builds handicapped-accessible vehicles and homes to help wounded veterans with their particular physical challenges
- HOPE Program (Heal, Overcome, Persevere, Excel): offers emotional and financial support to veterans experiencing trauma, emotional distress, and injury.
- Snowball Express Program: creates a community of support for Gold Star families by gathering them together for trips and celebrations.
- First Responders Outreach Program: provides funds, equipment, training, and wellness programs for U.S. firefighters, police, and EMTs.
- Serving Heroes Program: cooks and serves homemade meals to soldiers at active military outposts to make them feel closer to home.
The Foundation also does plenty of community outreach on a smaller level, too. The organization hosts numerous festivals (including performances by the Lt. Dan Band) to support and celebrate our military and their families. And they’re not all talk, either. In 2018, 89.86% of every dollar contributed was applied directly to support military and their loved ones, earning them high marks among the agencies that rate not-for-profits.
You can learn more about the Gary Sinise Foundation on their website.
And a big, wet kiss from me to all our veterans!
Still with me? Okay. Beloved wanted me to tell you a silly story about my “relationship” with Gary Sinise. About 15 years ago, I started dreaming about the actor practically every night. In each of the dreams, we talked and talked, and got to know each other quite well. Then after a few months of this, dream Gary asked me to marry him. It happened over and over and over. I would explain that I was gay and married to a woman, but a night or two later, he’d be back at it. It got to the point that when we woke up in the morning, Beloved would ask “How’s Gary?” I started to feel like I was being disloyal to her. It was very strange. Eventually, I had a terrible fight with Gary’s best friend, played in my dream by John Malkovich, and that was the end of the dreams. I guess Malkovich put the kibosh on the relationship. I confess I was a little sad.
So I was very gratified to learn all the wonderful things that Gary does for veterans. At least my subconscious had good taste!
November 11, 2019 at 7:54 am
Did my 23 years in the US Navy, Retired 1982. Navy was good to me. Hal
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November 11, 2019 at 8:10 am
Thank you for your service!
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November 11, 2019 at 8:37 am
Fabulous work from the Foundation but should the Government not do more for those who have risked their lives?
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November 11, 2019 at 9:45 am
I absolutely agree, but it’s good to know there are still kind people in the world who see veterans as more than an entry in the expense column.
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November 11, 2019 at 10:51 am
Very true and in UK much reliance is also placed on charitable support.
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November 11, 2019 at 8:51 am
Just shows what one person can do to start a fire that burns for good.
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November 11, 2019 at 9:45 am
What a lovely way to put it! You’re absolutely right.
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November 11, 2019 at 12:41 pm
Such a wonderful article! (I’m stealing it to use as a guest post for next Veterans Day!) I’m going to check out this foundation. Thanks for the heads up.
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November 11, 2019 at 1:05 pm
Thank you! It’s a great organization, and I’m glad to know he’s such a good man.
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November 11, 2019 at 1:59 pm
I had heard of those individual programmes but was not aware that they all fell under the umbrella of one charitable organisation nor that it had been founded by Sinise. What a wonderful way to use his profile and do something really meaningful when paying forward his own good fortune.
Your dream story is hysterical. I especially love that Malkovich had a cameo. I have had a recurring character appear in my dreams since I was about 5 but in my case that character is a T-Rex. It used to turn up and scare me but then gradually he was just an annoying unexpected guest and disrupter of dreams. Maybe you could send John Malkovich over to tell my T-Rex to shove off.
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November 12, 2019 at 7:12 am
I’ll try, but as I recall, he was pretty stubborn
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November 12, 2019 at 7:13 am
Also…
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/have-you-seen/video/2019/07/11/dozens-costumed-t-rex-race-horse-track/1704453001/
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November 12, 2019 at 7:24 am
That’s hysterical!
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November 12, 2019 at 8:18 am
So satisfying!
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