Tony and Emmy-winning actor Gary Sinise has trod hundreds of stages during his more than 50-year career, but on June 30, 2011, he stepped to the podium at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce a new role that would become his most impactful and enduring: founder and chairman of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which serves America’s defenders and their families.
On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, Sinise spoke with The Saturday Evening Post about his mission to serve veterans of every conflict, first responders, wounded heroes, families of the fallen, and those enduring invisible wounds — a mission that continues to expand in scope and reach.
From humble beginnings in two small rooms on the CBS studio lot where Sinise was then filming his TV series, CSI: New York, the Gary Sinise Foundation has grown into an international presence. Now headquartered in Tennessee, the nonprofit employs roughly 100 people. Beginning with a single donor (Sinise himself — “a fairly substantial investment,” he says with a laugh), it now counts hundreds of thousands of donors and supporters.
At Highland Park High School during the Vietnam War era, the long-haired Sinise had the look and rock and roll attitude of an anti-war protestor. In fact, he did attend rallies, but only because it was an authorized way to skip classes.
But he had many family members who were veterans, and they instilled in him a respect for the military. His grandfather fought on the front lines in France during World War I. One of his uncles flew 30 missions over Europe as a navigator aboard a B-17 bomber during World War II. His father was a Navy photographer during the Korean War. His brother-in-law was a medic in Vietnam; it was his dog tags that Sinise wore in his signature Oscar-nominated role as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump. Sinise himself was conceived on a naval base, as he wrote in his 2019 memoir, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service.
Prior to costarring in Robert Zemeckis’ 1994 classic, Sinise was already an advocate for the military. At Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Tony-winning ensemble he cofounded out of high school, he instituted veterans’ nights, offering free admission to those who served (this program continues today).
Yet his portrayal of Lt. Dan — a grievously injured and psychologically scarred Vietnam-era soldier who eventually emerges at peace with himself — steered him to a life even more deeply committed to service. His character resonated deeply with veterans. Sinise has joked that if he had a nickel for every time someone called him “Lt. Dan,” he could retire. Did he ever go through a Leonard Nimoy “I am not Spock” period concerning his close association with the character?
Forrest Gump (1994) – Lt. Dan Makes His Peace Scene (Uploaded to YouTube by Movieclips)
“I never felt that,” he says. “When I started walking into hospital rooms and they called me Lt. Dan, I thought, ‘I’m fine with that.’ These folks recognize what that character went through and his happy ending. That’s the story we want for everybody who gets banged up in war. I thought if Lt. Dan could be a conversation starter, then so be it. I got used to it over the years.”
Guided by his credo “I can do more,” Sinise stepped up his service work after the September 11 attacks, working with several nonprofits dedicated to supporting the military, including the USO. His cover band, the Lt. Dan Band, in which he plays bass, traveled the world performing at military bases. (The 2010 film festival award-winning documentary, Lt. Dan Band: For the Common Good, is a stirring portrait of the band and its mission.)
Those tireless efforts ultimately inspired Sinise to establish his own nonprofit. Its mission statement reflects the foundation’s drive to create and support “unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.”
The key words here are “and support,” Sinise says. “I don’t think any foundation can do everything that needs to be done. If I can continue to support other organizations and programs the way I’d been doing but then have my own foundation to take in additional resources to help me do more, that’s what I wanted to do.”
Under Sinise’s leadership, the foundation has steadily expanded its initiatives. “We got into disaster relief efforts over the past five years,” he says. “Hurricane Harvey in Houston destroyed many homes of the firefighters and police officers who were out trying to protect and rescue people.”
Another recent initiative is the Gary Sinise Foundation Podcast, now in its third season. The project was created by Sinise’s son Mac, who died in 2024 from a rare form of cancer. Hosted by U.S. Marine Corps veteran and foundation Senior VP Cristin Kampsnider, the podcast “was something Mac looked forward to doing,” Sinise says. “He wanted to interview men and women who serve. He saw it as a good way for people to get to know those we are trying to help.”
In 2019, Sinise stepped away from acting to help care for Mac, as well as his wife, Moira, who the year before was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer (she is now in remission and cancer-free). “I’ve been blessed,” he says. “I’ve had a great career. I could afford to step away and focus on my family. I want to continue to play a strong role in the foundation, but I’m also working to make sure all this energy and good will we’ve developed between us and the American people carries on.”
Sinise with U.S. Army Captain Derick Carver, who suffered severe injuries in Afghanistan. In 2022, Captain Carver was presented with a mortgage-free specially adapted smart home, made possible by the Gary Sinise Foundation (Courtesy of the Gary Sinise Foundation)
Sinise himself was readying to go out with the Lt. Dan Band on a tour that will take them to Fort Bragg, Shaw Air Force Base, and other locales. “We’re just trying to lift spirits,” he says. “My advance teams are always out there doing something. We just sent some entertainers out to Alaska. We’re always trying to do a little more.”
For more information about the Gary Sinise Foundation and its programs, visit garysinisefoundation.org.
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