Posted on 02/26/2012 12:53:40 PM PST by jazusamo
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Note: Ft. Belvoir is in VA.
I just watched a Tony Awards program of past plays-—and Gary Sinise was in the lead role of “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest “. It just showed a part of it but he was excellent. Always have liked him—he has lots of charisma and is very selfless—a good man.
Amen...He’s a very good actor and genuinely supports our military and veterans.
I admire Gary Sinise a lot for all he does, and appreciate his patriotism, but I would not call him a hero. I don’t think he would want people to think him a hero either. Others have given and sacrificed so much more than most of us can even imagine. They are the real heroes.
I fully agree, especially about him not wanting to be labeled a hero. I believe Mr. Harrison has admired Sinise for years and is a hero to him.
I’ll tell you something else about Sinise. He has a band called the “Major Dan Band” or something like that. I saw it perform at a corporate event a few years back.
Most celebrity bands basically just count on people being happy with the presence of the celebrity and go through the motions on preparation. These guys were not only good, but they went all out for nearly two hours. They were damned good!
It said something to me that he treated what clearly wasn’t the central aspect of his career so respectfully and professionally.
Hank
i’ve read about them playing for troops in theatre a bunch of times..GS is a patriot
He is a very good actor. He would have to be to play beside a flaming liberal like Tom Hanks in Forest Gump
I would call him a great American. I think that fits him better then hero.
I love the change but feel a little disappointed that it wasn't there when we returned.
I think his show CSI New York will be canceled. Not enough 18-49 year olds watching. It stinks because I love Sela Ward.
He got new legs..
The list of organizations Gary is helping is too long to mention, but it also includes organizations that aid the children of our fallen. Gary works with The USO, whose current goal is to raise roughly $100 million to complete and financially support two new USO centers (Operation Enduring Care) -- one at Ft. Belvoir, MD, and one at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, MD. These centers help get our troops ready to ship out to places far away and help them reintegrate into society when they return from combat zones and from bases located around the world.
Lieutenant Dan Ping!
Thanks for pinging your list, AW.
I love that man and yes, a hero he is.
I’ve never thought I was a particularly vain person (who of us does?) but I did have an encounter with some tourists down in Washington DC that made my head swell.
I was counter-protesting with the DC Chapter of FR near the White House, as I stood with my sign supporting our troops, a man and woman asked if they could take my picture. I said sure, and faced their camera for the shot holding my sign out.
They then asked me if I was an acorn, to which I responded “Absolutely not!” and they both said they thought I was Gary Sinese!
I will tell you, I don’t have a bone in my body that envies what we see in Hollyweird to even a small degree, but I felt pretty puffed out to be mistaken for that man! They had to choose the ONE person in the film industry that I would have taken that as a compliment on!
(For the record, I look nothing like him, but I suspect it was the military ball cap and sunglasses that made that couple think so!)
I guess I live under a rock. I did not know who Mr. Sinise was.
Heh, I hate autocorrect, especially with all the errors I make with my hand in a cast...
http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
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