Gary Sinise, An American Hero

By Gary P Jackson

If all there was to say about Gary Sinise was that he was a great and versatile actor, that wouldn’t be a bad legacy, nor would saying he’s a great musician, but there is much more to the man.

Gary has a solid movie career, and has played some memorable characters, and has a hit television series as well. For many that would be good enough, but not for Sinise. When he’s not busy filming, Gary goes around the country, and around the world, playing with his band, the Lt. Dan Band, named for his character in Forrest Gump.

Sinise and his band use their talent to not only raise money for the troops, and other charities, they also go and play for our brave men and women overseas, following in footsteps of other patriotic American entertainers who have given back to those who keep us free and safe.

The video above shows the band letting off a little steam, as they entertain the cast and crew of Gary’s hit CBS show CSI-NY, and also talks about one of charities Gary helped create: Operation International Children.

From their website:

Operation International Children (formerly Operation Iraqi Children) is a grass-roots program founded in early 2004 by actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, CSI: NY) and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) and joined in partnership with People to People International and its President and CEO, Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Sinise and Hillenbrand created OIC to give concerned Americans a way to reach out to the war-stricken children of Iraq by supporting our troops in their efforts to assist them. Working directly with troops, OIC has delivered well over a quarter of a million school supply kits, along with more than half a million toys and thousands of blankets, backpacks, pairs of shoes, Arabic-language books, and sets of sports equipment, all of which have been distributed to children.

While we remain committed to our work in Iraq, OIC has expanded its mission, sending school supplies to Afghanistan and other nations, where American troops are distributing them to children in need. In the future, we will continue to broaden our efforts across the world.

This is a wonderful project, something that will help these kids learn and become more productive. You can learn more and get involved with Operation International Children here.

For more info on the Lt. Dan Band, concert dates, and various ways to help Gary support the troops, check out their website here.

All of the crew over at CSI-NY are headed back to work, and one of our favorite actors Sela Ward will be joining the cast. We can't wait!