You may know him as Lt. Dan Taylor in the iconic movie Forrest Gump , but for the brave men and women who serve our country every day, he’s known as a hero.
That’s because of these 8+ times Gary Sinise proved he was the greatest human ever!
Through his Gary Sinise foundation, Gary raises 30 million annually for veterans.
One of the biggest reasons he dedicates so much time and energy to this cause is because he believes the government isn’t doing enough .
“The government should always do more but we can do more more too,” he said.
“We can make sure that if they are going to fall through the cracks we’re going to catch them and support them.”
He gave a smart home to an Afghanistan vet who lost both legs.
Caleb Brewer, Sergeant 1st Class in the U.S. Army reserves, was deployed to the war in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2015.
He joined the Green Berets in 2015.
Sadly, tragedy struck while he was deployed as he lost both his legs after standing on an IED.
On top of everything else, he also sustained a traumatic brain injury.
When Gary caught word of what had happened to this war vet, he encouraged Caleb to apply to his RISE program.
RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) is a program that builds and provides specially adapted smart homes and adapted vehicles for injured vets.
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Thanks to Gary, Caleb was approved and now lives in Arizona in the smart home with his family.
“It’s incredibly overwhelming in a good way,” said Brewer.
“It doesn’t feel real. I never would’ve expected it in a million years.”
He treated over 1,000 kids of fallen soldiers to a trip to Disneyland!
Just call him dreammaker!
He arranged for 15 planes to take all of the kids and one surviving family member each with them.
They arrived at the happiest place on earth with the best guy on earth, for an all-expenses-paid five-day vacation!
He gave a Vietnam vet a new roof after his ceiling caved in.
Sinise gave a helping hand to war vet Chuck Fox, who actually served in the same 9th Infantry Division that he portrayed in Forrest Gump .
The new roof was provided via Gary’s RISE program, which gives veterans a new roof over their heads as part of the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project.
His band, Lt. Dan Band, plays shows for active-duty troops and veterans.
The mission statement of Gary’s band is this: gratitude, honor, and rock & roll.
That’s what he and his band provide when they travel all over the world to provide entertainment for the brave men and women who give their lives for their country.
They play a little something for everyone.
This includes the classics of Stevie Wonder, Journey, Bruce Springsteen, to pop music and even country!
Rock on, Gary!
The Gary Sinise Foundation has given more than 175,000 meals.
The Gary Sinise Foundation has done so much good, what with replacing roofs for veterans and providing them with smart homes for those in need.
His organization also helps veterans and their families on a daily basis by feeding those in need meals.
When he became overcome with emotion when his famous pals thanked him for all of the work he does.
It was such a special moment when veterans, first responders, and even celebrities like Tom Hanks, gave thanks to Gary for all of the work he does.
The moment was so precious!
He’s super sensitive to not call post-traumatic stress a “disorder.”
“Usually, this condition is referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder,” Sinise said .
“But I refuse to call it a disorder. Take any person, put him or her in combat, and they’re going to experience post-traumatic stress. The result is not a disorder. It’s a natural response.”
He sent 28 veterans to the National World War II Museum.
Thanks to his Soaring Valor program, 28 World War II veterans received a free trip to New Orleans to visit the National World War II Museum.
“We want to make them feel loved. They deserve it,” Gary said.
“It’s a great, special treat to be able to travel with the veterans and for my foundation to be able to take them.”
