The Gary Sinise Foundation's "Invincible Spirit Festival," hosted by the USO of Metropolitan Washington, came to Fort Belvoir's Pullen Field Sept. 11 in honor of Patriot Day.

The festival included a live concert by Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, rides and activities for children, and a cookout provided by celebrity chef Robert Irvine and a team of volunteers from SYSCO.

"This is our Invincible Spirit Festival because we've got so many invincible spirits out here," Sinise said during his opening remarks. "It's a great way for us to be able to show our appreciation to the men and women who serve our country and provide our freedom for us and we don't ever for one second take that for granted."

The festival helped Fort Belvoir commemorate Patriot Day in a special way, said Garrison Commander Col. Gregory D. Gadson, who helped introduce the band.

"Twelve years ago, terrorists attacked us here in our homeland, right here in northern Virginia. Since that tragic day, many of us took the war to their turf in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many brave Americans did not return and many others returned drastically changed, both physically and mentally. This day, Patriot Day, is for them. It's a special day to remember their sacrifices," he said.

More than 7,000 servicemembers, Department of the Army civilians and their Families attended the event, according to the USO.

Families camped out on the field with blankets and folding chairs to enjoy the barbecue and concert. The band Stolen Silver performed the opening act, followed by the 12-member Lt. Dan Band, which played a variety of rock and roll, pop, jazz and folk covers from artists including Adele, Stevie Wonder and Kelly Clarkson.

It was Navy Lt. Jason Osuga's first time hearing the band.

"What the Gary Sinise Foundation is doing is such a morale booster," said Osuga, who attended with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. "It's just so important to have an event where servicemembers can relax with their Families. From taking care of our wounded warriors, to all of the young Families to our veterans, it's important to keep that connection going."

Bill Lockhart, a Vietnam veteran from Trenton, Ga., attended with some friends after riding his motorcycle up to the capital area.

"My riding buddy and I said, 'Well listen, let's go down there and see what's going on,'" he said. "I'm really anxious to listen to the band, the food is good and I was talking to the USO earlier … and they played such a big, important part in our Vietnam era."

Most importantly, he said, he wanted to support the military community on Patriot Day.

"I'm an American," he said. "It's what we do."

Before and during the concert, Families and children could have their faces painted, get balloon animals, try out the inflatable obstacle course or climb the rock wall. They also had the chance to meet Irvine and take photos.

For Irvine, serving up a barbecue at all of the Invincible Spirit Festivals is his way to thank the military community.

"I want to say thank you for what you do every day, men and women of our Armed Forces and our veterans," Irvine said. "We as Americans can't forget, especially on this day, 9/11, all the people who have sacrificed not only the ultimate sacrifice but people who are left behind. It's very important that we show our appreciation."

The festival included a host of special guests who spoke to the crowd before the concert.

Under Secretary of the Army Joseph W. Westphal thanked the military community for its continued service.

"This is the epitome of what America is about," Westphal said. "It's about service; it's about contributing to our nation. Everybody out there, your Families, your civilians, your children, have all made huge sacrifices so that Soldiers and Airmen and Marines or Sailors can all do their jobs, so we really appreciate that."

Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell recognized servicemembers and government civilians who could not attend, because they are currently deployed.

"Today, as we sit here and have the opportunity to enjoy the Lt. Dan Band, we have 50,000 plus Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and our great civilians in harm's way tonight, doing that for us. Never ever forget that sacrifice," Campbell said.

The festival also featured remarks from Deborah Burlingame, co-founder of the Keep America Safe organization and the sister of Charles "Chic" Burlingame III, the pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that was hijacked by terrorists and flown in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Her brother was a Navy pilot before flying commercial airliners.

"We were prepared for him to die in combat, we thought. We were not prepared for him to die the way he did, and it hit us very hard," Burlingame said. "The attacks hit our country very hard, and I'm going to tell you honestly, a lot of people lost their faith. Some got it back, in large part due to you. We saw our American military go out there and take the fight to the enemy. You were there for us day after day, year after year. I just want to say, we can never repay you and we can never thank you enough."

This was the fourth Invincible Spirit Festival, following others at the Navy Medical Center San Diego, Calif.; San Antonio Military Medical Center, Texas; and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Md.

Bringing the festival to Fort Belvoir and partnering with the Gary Sinise Foundation was only natural, said Elaine Rogers, president and CEO of USO-Metro.

"Gary Sinise has been doing USO shows all around the world for so many years, and he's one of our regulars on our Handshake Tours up at the hospitals whenever he comes into town, so this was just natural to link up with the Foundation and put on an awesome event for our troops here at Fort Belvoir as a great way to say thank you for what you all do every single day," Rogers said.

For more information on the Gary Sinise Foundation, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.

For more information about the USO of Metropolitan Washington, visit www.usometro.org.