CSI:NY star Gary Sinise has been acting professionally for over 30 years. Many of his roles have been members of the military. He is frequently referred to as “Lieutenant Dan” after the character he played in Forrest Gump. In his current role as Detective Mac Taylor, he plays an ex-Marine. Through Sinise’s work as an actor, his frequent USO tours and the charity he cofounded -- Operation Iraqi Children -- he has had a lot of direct contact with the men and women in uniform who serve the United States. He shares some of what that experience has taught him.

Sinise has learned to be grateful for our soldiers. He has never been to war as he was a teen during the Vietnam War and it was coming to end when he turned 18. But he has transfixed by a Los Angeles performance of a play called Tracersin which real Vietnam veterans shared their experiences. He decided to direct a performance of the play at the Chicago theater he cofounded, Steppenwolf, but only had two vets in his cast so he visited a VA hospital to talk to vets struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. They described their battles and he saw the haunted look in their eyes. One of the worst parts was hearing how people treated them when they got home. One vet said he was afraid to wear his uniform in public. Sinise realized how lucky he’d been to have so many opportunities while men and women in uniform sacrificed, only to be treated with contempt instead of honor.

On September 11, 2001, Sinise realized how vulnerable America is and wanted to do something to support the troops. He signed up for the USO shortly after U.S. forces arrived in Afghanistan. In June 2003, he made his first overseas USO trip to Iraq. He shook thousands of hands of amazing people serving our country. He was especially impressed by the military doctors who treat not only U.S. soldiers, but also the locals. Although he’d harbored a fear of hospitals since watching his grandmother dying as a teen, he visited wounded soldiers thinking of how much they had sacrificed for him. Their selflessness reminds him that our country is served by noble men and women willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Sinise has also learned to reach out. During his second visit to Iraq in November 2003, soldiers took him to see a school they helped rebuild. Even in its rebuilt state, it was modest by American standard. There were four kids to each desk and they were sharing pencils three ways, each taking a turn to write and then passing the pencil on to another student. The pencil was so worn down most Americans would have thrown it out. Unable to shake that image from his head, he cofounded Operation Iraqi Children with Seabiscuit author Laura Hillenbrand. The mission of the charity is to assist troops spread supplies and goodwill to Iraqi children. In January 2004, Sinise’s children’s school sent 25 boxes of supplies to Iraq. Today Operation Iraqi Children has sent more than 300,000 school supply kits to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sinise and his band, The Lt. Dan Band will perform a concert for Marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on March 3 as part of Sinise’s involvement with the USO. This is his 22nd USO tour.

Sinise’s article can be enjoyed in its entirety at Guideposts Magazine. Further information about the USO Tour and Sinise’s involvement can be found at PR Newswire.

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