by Airman 1st Class Justin T. Armstrong
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
8/18/2015 - MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- After
quietly tuning his electric bass behind stage, he slowly walks up a
ramp, wearing a drab-green T-shirt and an Army combat uniform patterned
ball cap emblazoned with his foundation's red and blue logo. Head down,
he puts an arm in the air and instantly the Dock 1 crowd went from
silent to a deafening roar.
Gary Sinise, better known by some as Lt. Dan Taylor from the 90's
cult-classic film Forrest Gump, visited Minot Air Force Base, North
Dakota, to perform with the Lt. Dan Band for the second time Aug. 15,
2015.
"We wanted to provide entertainment to folks who don't generally get a
lot of it," Sinise said. "Airmen and families need some entertainment up
here -- they need to know they're appreciated -- so I came back."
The band, comprised of 12 members, is a program of the Gary Sinise
Foundation and has per-formed hundreds of shows for thousands of
military members since 2003, according to their offi-cial website.
Sinise's original visit came in 2014 after Air Force Global Strike
Command asked if the band would visit bases within the command. The
initial tour of the northern bases included F.E. War-ren AFB, Malmstrom
AFB and Minot AFB and was produced by the Gary Sinise Foundation as well
as local sponsors.
This year's tour was a joint effort between the Gary Sinise Foundation and the United Service Organizations.
Sinise understands and appreciates the importance of the nuclear mission
at Minot as well as the hard work Airmen put in day-in and day-out.
He often stressed the significance and uniqueness of the mission and location.
"It's an important mission up here," Sinise said. "You can tend to be
just doing your job up here, in the middle of nowhere, with no knowledge
that folks are actually paying attention to what you're doing."
This is why Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band returned to Minot with the
band's theme being "Honor, Gratitude, and Rock and Roll."
"I like to get to places in the military where a lot of folks don't get
to go or see and meet people that are doing jobs that are important and
make sure they know we're grateful for what they're doing out there,"
Sinise said. "That's why I came back. I just want to say 'thank you' and
make sure the families up here know that we appreciate them as well."
The Lt. Dan Band set list included a variety of popular covers such as
"Uptown Funk," "Let it Go" from Frozen, the Crime Scene Investigation
New York television show theme song, "Chicken Fried" and "God Bless the
USA."
After a performance lasting more than two hours, the lights of Dock 1
dimmed, a spotlight fo-cused center-stage on Sinise and he took a moment
to talk about how the military affected his life. He concluded by
formally thanking Minot Airmen and their families for their tireless
contri-butions to our nation's safety.
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
May 27, 2007 – Actor Gary Sinise received the G.I. Spirit Award yesterday during the first G.I. Film Festival, held over the Memorial Day weekend at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. Retired Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife Mary Jo Myers, presented Sinise with the award, which is meant to honor the entertainer who most embodies the spirit of the American G.I. and his work.
Despite many other film and television roles, Sinise may still be best known as Lt. Dan, a turbulent, resilient character in the 1994 film adaptation of Winston Groom's novel Forrest Gump. Lt. Dan struggled to find his place in America after being wounded in Vietnam and returning home with two below-knee amputations.
Sinise's portrayal of the wounded war vet was received with cheers and applause during a screening last night by guests who gathered at the film festival. The three-day event is showing 22 movies, conducting panel discussions and welcoming scores of current and retired servicemembers.
"We watched the screening of Forrest Gump and one thing it reminded me of was coming home from Vietnam in 1970 and being told to take off my uniform before I went through the international airport in San Francisco," Richard Myers said. "I said, 'Why would that be?' They said, 'They're going to harass you all the way from the front of the airport as you get to the gate because you have your uniform on.'
"That's not a very impressive thing to come home to when you've seen your friends injured, die and you've been doing what you think you're country has asked you to do, and do it in good faith," he said. "How different it is today."
Before presenting Sinise with the award, Myers called Sinise a "one-man effort to make sure people understand that America loves the troops," and a man who truly represents the Air Force's core value, "Service Before Self."
Mary Jo Myers said Sinise's compassion goes beyond caring for men and women in uniform.
"In 2003, he visited an Iraqi school with some of the members of the military and saw that these children were learning in a building that had a dirt floor; they were sharing pencils," she said. "(Sinise) came home and through his own children's school, he helped drive for school supplies to send to children in Iraq."
Sinise's efforts led to "Operation Iraqi Children," a non-profit organization he co-founded with Laura Hillenbrand that has send more than 400,000 school supply kits to children in Iraq. The kits are prepared by American school children then hand-delivered by U.S. military members.
After receiving the award, Sinise told the audience that his two brothers-in-law served in Vietnam -- one as a helicopter pilot and the another who served his first tour as an Army lieutenant and second as a captain. Sinise described the West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, who died in 1983, as an inspiration.
"I modeled part of Lt. Dan on him," Sinise said. "When the opportunity to play Lt. Dan came up, I thought of him a lot. He was like Lt. Dan - he was surely destined for four stars; he was that kind of person.
A decade before playing Lt. Dan, Sinise said he got involved with a group of Vietnam vets in the Chicago-area suffering from post-traumatic stress after returning from war.
"I stayed involved with them and really came to empathize and sympathize with what they went through when they came home. As Gen. Myers said, they had to take off their uniform and there was something not right about that," Sinise said. "When I got the opportunity to play Lt. Dan it was one of those things that felt like it was - as Lt. Dan says - kind of a destiny... to serve that role and to try to enlighten people about what happened to our Vietnam veterans."
The actor had just flown back from Iraq the night before. He was there visiting servicemembers, and he told the crowd that troops still refer to him as Lt. Dan.
"Some actors might choose to kind of run away, kind of put the roles behind them, get mad about being identified so much with one part. But because that character has so much significance in terms of how it has been received by our Vietnam veterans and our veterans around the world, that's something I can never run away from," he said. "I can never say, 'That was then and don't talk to me about that part anymore.'"
Sinise visits military hospitals, where he said wounded servicemembers often see themselves through the eyes of Lt. Dan.
"I was just at the hospital yesterday and one guy said, 'Hey, I'm just like you now,'" Sinise said. "And he laughed, but I knew it wasn't real funny to him. But I knew that also my presence there at the hospital, and the fact that I showed up and continue to show up and go back and visit our wounded has some meaning to them."
In addition to his film work, Sinise and his rock band, the Lt. Dan Band, have been very active in showing support for the troops through free concerts on military installations and in deployed locations, in conjunction with the Defense Department's America Supports You Program. The program recognizes support for the troops from American individuals, non-profit organizations and corporations, and it communicates that support to the men and women serving in uniform.
The G.I. Film Festival was also started as a way of supporting the troops by Brandon Millet and wife, Laura Law-Millet, a major in the Army Reserve. The festival is a not-for-profit organizations, and its founders have planned to make it an annual event.
"We started this film festival because we wanted to do something to foster a positive public image for our soldiers at a very critical time," Millet said. "We were surprised to find there had never been a film festival dedicated to American men and women in the military, so we decided to launch this festival."
The festival is sponsored by a number of organizations, including Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Disabled American Veterans, The American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, The National Memorial Day Parade, and many others.
Celebrity guests were on-hand for the festival, including actors R. Lee Erney and James McEachin, fitness guru Billy Blanks and musicians Pat Boone and Michael Peterson.
"In Vietnam, a lot of our soldiers came home and they were spit on, they had things thrown at them. Did that feel good?" said Peterson, a country music singer has performed for U.S. troops in Korea and Afghanistan.
"We all want to be appreciated, and when you make an extraordinary commitment for a purpose bigger than yourself, you deserve the recognition and appreciation," he said.
Iraq war veteran Army Capt. Dennis J. Skelton, who brought fellow servicemembers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center National and the Naval Medical Center at Bethesda to the event, recognizes that American support for military personnel has undergone a tremendous change.
"It's amazing to see the transition that has occurred in this country over the last four decades between the last major conflict, which was Vietnam, and the global war on terror," Skelton said. "There is definitely no shortage of patriotism in this country, and that's evident by the number of non-profit, philanthropic organizations, and attention that America has given.
Skelton, a former platoon leader with the 25th Infantry Division in Fallujah, Iraq, lost his left eye and suffered other injuries in a rocket-propelled-grenade attack.
"To me, and to all of my peers that are in hospitals recovering - sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines - it's amazing to watch and witness America understanding that there's a difference between those that make policy and those that enforce policy. And they will continue to support those who enforce, and while in the same breath, debating in a public forum, those who make it," he said. "It's just a beautiful thing to finally evolve to an area that we can professionally in the same forum do both simultaneously.
"It's great to know that even though there are some who may not agree with intentions or involvements and outcomes, they will forever support me as an individual that voluntarily made that choice to serve in a very complex environment," he said.
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By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 13, 2007 – The Military Officers Association of America announced it will present its highest award to an actor and a corporation for their strong support of military servicemembers. Gary Sinise and the DuPont Company, with headquarters in Wilmington, Del., will receive the MOAA Distinguished Service Award for 2007.
MOAA looks for indicators of strong support for military employees when considering organizations for this award, retired Air Force Col. Steve Strobridge, MOAA's director of government relations, said.
"(That includes) making up the pay between military pay and their old salary, continuation of benefits, support for the families, (and) recognition when they return," he said.
The criteria are a little different for an individual to receive the MOAA Distinguished Service Award. "Selfless service, achievement of results and reflections of credit on the military community" are key the elements, Strobridge said.
"DuPont and Sinise clearly demonstrated a great deal of caring and personal involvement involving the military," he said.
Sinise stars in CBS's "CSI: NY." As one of the founders of the "Lt. Dan Band," named after his "Forrest Gump" character, the actor has toured the world playing concerts for military personnel and their families.
DuPont earned MOAA's recognition for its strong support of military personnel, in general, and specifically for its employees who are military reservists.
The Military Officers Association of America is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
DuPont also helps "Treat the Troops," an America Supports You organization that sends cookies to deployed servicemembers, with shipping costs.
MOAA also will recognize five members of Congress and two congressional staffers. Sens. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, as well as Reps. Chet Edwards of Texas, and Walter Jones of North Carolina, will receive the Col. Arthur T. Marix Congressional Achievement Award for championing legislation to protect retired military families against health fee increases.
Virginia Sen. John Warner is being recognized with a special achievement award for his eight years leading the Senate Armed Service Committee. The two staffers, John Chapla and John Conger, also are being recognized for their broad support of military personnel.
The awards bring awareness to those offering strong support to the military, Strobridge said. They also let servicemembers know they're not forgotten.
"It is important to show the men and women who are serving and have served that the American people do care about them and recognize and appreciate them for their service," he said.
The awards will be presented in a ceremony on Capitol Hill on April 17.
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By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 26, 2007 – Actor and military advocate Gary Sinise earned praise for his portrayal of a disabled Vietnam veteran in the 1994 movie, "Forrest Gump." Sinise now is helping to build a memorial for America's 3 million living disabled military veterans. The spokesman for the Disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foundation, Sinise, 51, said it's important to recognize disabled veterans' military service and personal sacrifices, especially when America and its armed forces are engaged in a global war on terrorism.
"Having known so many Vietnam veterans and remembering all too well how they were received when they returned from war, I wanted to do my part to make sure that never happens again," Sinise said, noting that returning Vietnam veterans were treated poorly.
Today's U.S. servicemembers, unlike the conscription force employed during Vietnam, "serve freely," Sinise said.
"They should be shown appreciation and respect -- always," the Academy-Award nominated actor said. "Their sacrifices are many and they need our support."
Over the past three years Sinise has participated in more than 20 tours with the United Service Organizations to visit overseas-deployed U.S. troops and visited with wounded servicemembers. Sometimes, he took along his "Lt. Dan Band," named after Lt. Dan Taylor, the character he played in "Forrest Gump."
"Each time I visit our wounded I'm struck by their humility, their courage, determination, their acceptance, and their dedication to our country and their fellow warriors," Sinise said.
Supporting U.S. servicemembers "is truly one of the most rewarding things that I've ever done," Sinise said. "I know that they don't have to do this work, and I'm grateful that we have people like them who want to volunteer to defend this great nation in military service."
Letting America's servicemen and women know that their service to the nation is appreciated and won't be forgotten can make a great deal of difference, Sinise said. And, supporting America's disabled military veterans, he added, also is the right and proper thing to do.
"And, as these (disabled) veterans face a life for which no one can prepare, so must their families and friends," Sinise said.
The $65 million memorial will honor America's disabled military veterans from all the nation's wars, Sinise said. It will be built adjacent to the National Mall here, within full view of the U.S. Capitol.
Sinise noted his appreciation of and paid tribute to the families of disabled veterans.
"Their heroic devotion is a source of strength for those striving to heal," Sinise said. "Freedom is so precious. And those who protect it and sacrifice for it deserve our highest praise and thanks."
The award-winning actor also is an advocate of the "America Supports You" program, a Defense Department initiative that recognizes citizen and corporate support for U.S. military members and communicates that support to servicemembers at home and deployed overseas in the global war on terrorism.
Sinise and "The Lt. Dan Band" will perform a benefit concert tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Washington Auto Show at the Convention Center here. Proceeds will go to the Fisher House organization, which provides accommodations for military families when visiting with seriously ill loved ones.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership online; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 14, 2007 – The Fisher House Foundation will expand its efforts to help injured U.S. troops and their families by building five new comfort homes per year until 2010, the foundation's chairman said last night on CNN's "Larry King Live." These are families that make sacrifices. This program is designed to help them," Ken Fisher said.
The foundation builds homes on and near active military and Veterans Affairs medical facilities. The houses provide free lodging for servicemembers who must stay near a hospital for continuing treatment, as well as families visiting wounded loved ones.
The work done by the Fisher House Foundation was featured for the entire hour on last night's "Larry King Live." Clips of King and his crew visiting patients at the Fisher House in San Diego last week were shown throughout the program. King also interviewed servicemembers and their families who are currently at other Fisher House locations or have stayed at one previously.
Army Staff Sgt. Harold Ord, whose right ankle and lower leg were shattered by a mortar round last year in Iraq, talked about his appreciation for the Fisher House at Fort Campbell, Ky., where he is receiving treatment. "It's a great organization and it's great thing to have," Ord said. "We probably would have had a rough time without it. It's helped out a lot of people."
The foundation was started in 1990 by Ken's late uncle, Zack Fisher. When it was brought to Zack's attention that there was a shortage of affordable housing for injured servicemembers and their families, he decided to put the program together, Ken Fisher said.
Zack Fisher built the first comfort homes with his own money. "Zack always believed that it was our obligation to give back to a nation that had been so great to us," Ken Fisher said. "Zack always considered them (servicemembers) to be the greatest national treasure."
Today, there are 36 Fisher House facilities in 16 states and one in Germany. After the houses are built, they are gifted to U.S. government, which then maintains them. Fisher said the foundation works closely with the military to determine where a new house should be built.
"The beauty part of the house is that the families will sit together, they'll eat together, it has become a support network in the house," Fisher said. "It's not just families having a place to sleep, it's getting together and supporting each other on a bad day and sharing the joy on a good day."
Actor Gary Sinise, star of the hit CBS program "CSI: New York," joined King via satellite feed. Sinise said he has been involved with the Fisher House Foundation since 2003. "Fisher Houses are doing amazing, amazing work," he said. "I can't say enough about these folks and their dedication to helping our wounded and supporting our families."
Sinise and his music group, the Lt. Dan Band, named after the character he played in the movie "Forrest Gump," have played more than 40 shows for troops stationed in the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan. They will next perform at the Washington, D.C. Auto Show at the Washington Convention Center Jan. 27.
"It's rewarding to know that I can give back to these people who are volunteers, and who go out and defend our country," Sinise told King. "They're making a lot of sacrifices for us. And their families do as well."
Sinise, like the Fisher House Foundation, is an active member of the "America Supports You" program, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans are supporting the nation's troops. In addition, Sinise co-founded "Operation Iraqi Children," an organization that collects and ships school supplies and toys to Iraq.
Country music singer Wynonna Judd also appeared on last night's program. "I think there's nothing more important than support in a time of illness," she said.
Judd has performed at many military bases and medical facilities. "My job is to enlighten and lift up the spirits of these people who put their butts on the line every day so my family is free," she said.
Denise Mettie, who is staying at the Fisher House near Palo Alto, Calif., praised the foundation for giving her a place to stay while her son Evan gets treatment for severe injuries he received in Iraq. "Fisher House is a godsend," she said.
Army Staff Sgt. Ross Graydon, his wife Jamie and daughter Brittney, 10, appeared on the show from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Graydon lost his left arm while serving in Iraq.
Jamie said Fisher House has been like a home away from home while her husband gets treatment. "It's nice and very comfortable," she said. "Everybody is friendly, so you have a nice internal support system working for you."
Ken Fisher said seeing the Graydon family reinforced the reason the foundation does what it does. "This is exactly why we do what we do. To see the three of them together and wonder what it would have been like had they not been able to there," he said. "It's a wonderful feeling to see them together."
CNN will auction off a Humvee nicknamed "Warrior One" to benefit the Fisher House Foundation Jan. 20. The vehicle was used by some of the network's correspondents during the Iraq war, but was completely refurbished during a recent episode of TLC's "Overhaulin.'" Barrett-Jackson Auction Co., a classic car auction house, will auction the vehicle at its headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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