'Lt. Dan' actor visits Fort Belvoir for first time

Gary Sinise reveals how acting role helped shape him into strong military advocate

Actor and celebrity Gary Sinise is better known as "Lt. Dan" in the military community, ever since he played the role of a Vietnam veteran in the 1994 film "Forrest Gump."

Sinise doesn't mind, though; in fact, during his visit to Fort Belvoir Sept. 11, he revealed how his role helped guide him toward becoming such a strong advocate for servicemembers and wounded warriors.

During his visit, Sinise toured the installation and met with wounded warriors, servicemembers, civilians and military Families before performing with the Lt. Dan Band that evening in the Invincible Spirit Festival. It was Sinise's first visit to Fort Belvoir.

"I've been wanting to come here for a long time and I'm really glad we could make this happen," Sinise said. "There are some fantastic people that are working here, so it's very impressive, what's going on."

During breakfast at the Fort Belvoir Golf Club, he had a roundtable discussion about wounded warrior programs and projects with some of Fort Belvoir's wounded warriors and garrison leaders.

Army Community Services Director Brett Jurgersen, who attended the breakfast, talked about being both a wounded warrior and a program director.

Jurgersen was wounded in Iraq twice, first with a gunshot to the face and later by rocket-propelled grenades that injured his leg, causing his left leg to be amputated. He continued to serve a full career and then retired to join civilian service.

"When you transition from the military, it's not easy," he told Sinise. "One of the great things about being a vet and being a part of this community is that you have a great support network."

Sgt. 1st Class Hugo Almaraz, a wounded warrior and the Equal Opportunity advisor for the Military District of Washington, also told Sinise about losing his foot while deployed in 2005, and his decision to stay on active duty.

"Hopefully, by me sharing my personal experiences, it might inspire someone else in similar shoes to continue on active duty or be an effective civilian," Almaraz said.

Later in the day, Sinise visited the Soldier and Family Assistance Center, which provides help to wounded or injured Soldiers and their Families; the newly opened National Intrepid Center of Excellence Satellite Center, which provides treatment for servicemembers with invisible war wounds, including post-traumatic stress; and the USO Warrior and Family Center, where he and first lady Michelle Obama helped military children create crafts to give to wounded warriors.

Decades of Commitment

The entire day at Fort Belvoir was one of many different days Sinise spends on military installations, performing concerts, or just visiting with servicemembers and wounded warriors.

As time goes on, Sinise continues to devote more time to military communities.

"Each decade from the 80s to now has gotten stronger and more invested in our veteran community," he said. "In the 80s, having veterans in my Family, I got involved with local Vietnam veterans groups. The opportunity to play in Forrest Gump came along, and having been involved with Vietnam veterans, I very much wanted to play that part."

Sinise's role as Lt. Dan ended up defining him more than any other role he played, he said.

"I wanted to do the story of Lt. Dan because I just knew so many Vietnam veterans; I wanted to tell a positive story about our Vietnam veterans, which Lt. Dan is," he said. "Even though he's tragically and catastrophically injured, at the end of the movie, he's coming out on top. I think Forrest Gump was probably one of the first times we had seen a Vietnam veteran portrayed as somebody who could move beyond their experience in Vietnam and be okay."

Sinise began doing USO tours overseas and throughout the United States, and people started calling him "Lt. Dan," he said.

"That's why I named the band for that character," he said. "That story resonated not only with our Vietnam veterans but with our active duty servicemembers today. That was the story of so many of our warriors who go through severe and tragic injuries, but they make it; they go on with their lives and they're successful."

Then, when terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, Sinise decided to take an even more active role in advocating for service men and women.

"Sept. 11 was a catalyst for me to take really serious, devoted action," Sinise said. "I wanted to do my part to make sure that today's warriors who were shipped off in reaction to Sept. 11 know that we appreciate what they're doing."

He came up with the idea of the Invincible Spirit Festival after performing concerts at Walter Reed General Hospital (now Walter Reed Army Medical Center), Washington D.C. and Brooke Army Medical Center (now San Antonio Military Medical Center), Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

"I wanted to do something at Naval Medical Center in San Diego," he said. "I live in California and I've been going back and forth and visiting our wounded. So, when I was down there, I said 'Why don't you let me come down here, set up a big stage right in front of the hospital, and we'll do our thing? We'll get everybody outside and just give them a good time.' That's how that began."

A few months before the concert, he received a Tweet from celebrity chef Robert Irvine applauding his support for the military asking him if he needed any help.

"I called up Robert and I said 'Hey, I've got this event going at Naval Medical Center. Why don't you come down and cook for us?'" Sinise said. "So he says 'Great, I'm in' right away, and he calls up SYSCO and gets them to donate all of the food. I said to my foundation team, 'I want to do a bunch of them this year' and that's when we created the Invincible Spirit Festival."

Sinise also created the Gary Sinise Foundation to support programs for servicemembers, first responders and wounded warriors, as well as others in need. And he's not finished yet.

"I've met extraordinary people throughout the services who have motivated me each and every day," he said. "I value my freedom. I know who provides it, and I'm just trying to give back."

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