Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to Perform at the Pentagon

American Forces Press Service ^

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2008 – Oscar-nominated actor and director Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band will perform a concert in the Pentagon Courtyard Friday, May 16 at noon as part of Military Appreciation Month.

Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. James Cartwright, and Department of Defense's 'America Supports You' program will be hosting the event. Military Appreciation Month is a nationwide observance honoring current and former members of the armed forces, including those who have died in service of our nation.

Sinise is renowned for his role as Lt. Dan in the movie "Forrest Gump," and currently stars in the CBS television series "CSI: NY." Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band have performed at USO concerts for men and women at American military bases across the United States, Europe and the Middle East. After visiting Iraq, Sinise started the ASY homefront group "Operation Iraqi Children" with author Laura Hillenbrand that sends school supplies to children in Iraq.

Additionally, representatives from more than 40 homefront groups from around the country will be on hand to join in this celebration. These organizations help servicemembers and their families in a variety of ways including sending letters and care packages to the troops, providing pre-paid phone cards, and sponsoring wellness retreats.

[roses of sharon]

God Bless Mr. Sinise, I can’t tell you how much I love this guy.

He sets a great example.

[luckymom]

Where are the pictures? :o)

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Would you believe that the Lt. Dan Band has a MySpace page?!!!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

From the actual Lt. Dan Band website is their upcoming schedule!

[I still care]

And he plays bass guitar too. :)

Both my husband and my son play bass.

[GloriaJane]

It’s a wonderful thing they do for our troops. God Bless Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band!

[laotzu]

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

You can only look. Gary is faithfully married to one of my sister’s best childhood friends. :-)

[roses of sharon]

How's this?

[roses of sharon]

Lucky, lucky, woman!

[roses of sharon]

One more. Thanks for everything you do for our guys, Gary!

[roaddog727]

Bumperoo!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Gary’s worth more than 100 other Hollywood vermin. He’s a better man, actor, and American.

[trimom]

And he never speaks a word about politics. It’s really about respecting those in uniform. God bless him and those whose lives he touches.

[Inspectorette]

What a great guy! One of the roles I enjoyed him most in was a miniseries where he played President Harry Truman from a young man until his presidency. Gary was fantastic.

[mountainbunny]

Isn’t he beyond awesome? I initially watched his show because he was on it, but now I’m hooked on the stories. And him :)

Everything Gary Sinise does seems to be honorable.

[fatima]

That’s so nice SandRat:)

[Caramelgal]

I’ve always liked Gary Sinise as an actor. I think the first role I saw him in was in a TV movie “My Name Is Bill W” about the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous which starred James Woods and James Garner, two other great and versatile actors IMO, in which he played Ebby, Bill Wilson’s best friend who was a great inspiration to the founding of AA but who tragically could not stay sober himself.

I next remember seeing Gary Sinise in “Of Mice and Men” and I remember thinking to myself, this guy is an amazing actor and he’s going to be around for many years to come.

His role as Lt. Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump was compelling and believable as was his role in Apollo 13 as a real life American hero, Ken Mattingly. Even when he’s playing a villain such as the kidnapping policeman in Ransom, he brings a genuine honesty and believability to all his roles.

It’s nice to see an actor who is dedicated to his craft as an actor but isn’t part of the Hollywood “scene”, has been married to the same woman for over 25 years, raising three children together far out of the spotlight.

And it’s good to know he also finds the time to give time to entertain our service men and women and honors their service.

In addition to his work with the USO and “Operation Iraqi Children”, he was also awarded the GI Spirit Award for the 2007 GI Film Festival and is scheduled to appear this weekend at the 2008 GIFF in DC.

The GI Film Festival (GIFF), a 501 c(3) non-profit organization, is the first film festival in the nation to exclusively celebrate the successes and sacrifices of the American military through the medium of film. The four-day festival will be held on May 14-18, 2008 in Washington DC.

The GIFF will present films from new and established international and domestic filmmakers that honor the heroic stories of the American Armed Forces and the worldwide struggle for freedom and liberty. Some of the films screened will be fan favorites. Others will be screened for the first time. All will in some way express the courage and selflessness of our fighting men and women and the value of their work.

GI Film Festival 2008

Click on the link to the 2007 festival and listen to the interview with Gary Sinise. Says a lot about him where he stands.

[luckymom]

No worries, I’m happily married just like he is. It’s just that a certain group of freepers is always calling for pictures when a beautiful female is mentioned, I thought it was only fair. :o)