Gary Sinise

            My VIP for this week is Gary Sinise. I have been reading good things about him for months and never thought to do a post on him – until yesterday. First, here is a little background. Sinise starred in Forest Gump as Lt. Dan Taylor, and his experience connected him to the men and women in the armed services for more than 40 years. He did USO tours in 2003 and then formed the “Lt. Dan Band” in early 2004. This progressed to entertaining troops both at home and elsewhere. The band now does about 30 shows per year for “military bases, charities and fundraisers supporting wounded heroes, Gold Star families, veterans and troops around the world.”

            Sinise recently wrote a book titled “Grateful American” that was released on February 12. Some of the Hollywood stars and other people that he has worked with for years put together a video expressing their own gratitude for the work that Sinise does. The video was a surprise to Sinise, and his surprise and humility are shown through a separate video. It is very touching to see how he responds to the many words of gratitude from numerous people. Sinise is obviously a very important person in the lives of the men and women who serve our nation in the military forces or as part of a law enforcement or fire unit. He truly deserves to be recognized for his humility, kindness and support for the first responders.