Columbia, SC (WLTX) --- Gary Sinise has a resume that includes movies and television. His most famous role is that of "Lt Dan" in the movie Forrest Gump but he also played villains in the thrillers Snake Eyes and Ransom.
Television is where Sinise has been keeping a busy schedule with his nine-year gig on CSI NY and his current show Criminal Minds Beyond Borders.
This weekend, Sinise was in town with his Lt. Dan Band. The 12-piece group performed a Saturday night concert at Fort Jackson's Hilton Field. Sinise also spent part of his day at the Dorn VA Medical Center where he shook the hands of veterans and thanked them for their service to the country.
Sinise has been a tireless supporter of the military for nearly 30 years, helping lead organizations and efforts that help past and present members of the armed forces and their families.
His USO-sponsored concerts entertain the troops, while his Gary Sinise Foundation and its partners have provided assistance to injured veterans returning home from overseas battles with the construction of "smart homes".
The Gary Sinise Foundation has helped provide these homes to injured veterans. According to the GSF website, each "smart home" costs $500,000 to build and depending on what each veteran needs, the homes can feature retractable cooktops, cabinets and shelving, automated lighting, heating and air conditioning units and window treatments controlled by an iPad. Other features that can be installed include elevators, roll-in bathrooms, front-load washers and dryers and automated doors. Intercom systems can also be part of the home to facilitate communication with friends and family members.
On average, each "Smart Home" costs approximately $500,000 to build. The program strives to provide personal independence and freedom to each of these severely injured heroes. Based on their specific needs, the "Smart Homes" normally feature retractable cooktops, cabinets and shelving, automated lighting, heating, air-conditioning and window treatments controlled by an iPad, as well as elevators, roll- in bathrooms, front-load washers and dryers, intercom systems and automated doors. Sinise says these smart homes provide independence to injured veterans who come back from war clearly not the same person they were when they left.
But on Saturday at Fort Jackson, soldiers and their families saw Sinise the entertainer as he played bass guitar in a high-energy concert at Hilton Field. Sinise says he was a musician before he was an actor, learning to play guitar in the fourth grade and getting the acting bug at the age of 16.
It's a life full of creative ventures that has given Sinise a platform that he has used to help the quality of life for military members at home and abroad.
