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Lieutenant Dan!

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  • Description

    Actor Gary Sinise tells Alan how his role in Forrest Gump led him to launch a foundation to support our troops.

  • Duration 8:33
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I'm Allentown and welcome Gary Sinise and this -- to delay launching a foundation.

To honor our nation's defenders -- first responders and their families and those in need in -- -- -- history -- really great piece and you Gary in a success magazine.

And I thought that's really if you detective and no.

As a teen you went to Vietnam War protest just to get out of class.

Well.

Yeah that threw things at today's lessons and well -- I was about this I think I was about fourteen years old when when that that -- and I really him.

-- -- paying much attention anything Baghdad and that girls about it.

And then I crystalline -- you paid attention to and married her brother's Vietnam veterans.

And their experience has really affected you correct.

He had absolutely Alan and I started actually to talk and having great conversations with her brother's.

Back in the early eighties this is prior to use the building of the Vietnam memorial in DC and kind of prior to all be the regret that was expressed by the country when we finally realize we.

Treated -- Vietnam veterans poorly and so they were.

You know they were.

One of them was still in the service the other one had gotten out of the service so they had varying perspectives about it but I.

I got to know a lot about what and it happened -- -- Vietnam veterans and what.

And it made me want to support them and so I got very actively involved with supporting our veterans groups -- in the eighties and hand that that led into the whole series of other types of things.

Caller -- the early eighties it -- you know you co founded.

I mean you know our audience may not the seven -- theater in Chicago.

And when you did tracers back in 84.

UN actual real Vietnam veterans talk about their experiences.

Traders with the plane that was actually written by a group of Vietnam -- -- -- -- in 1981.

I think it was done in Los Angeles Times the artistic director in Chicago.

-- Steppenwolf and I read this Los Angeles paper and I read this review of his play.

There have been written by group Vietnam veterans I got a plane and -- -- this.

LA and saw -- thing having been very very interested in what was going on whether Vietnam veterans and I was completely knocked out.

By the play it was written and performed.

By Vietnam veterans only two of them more actual actors aggressive or more just Vietnam veterans that were brought together by -- another Vietnam veteran -- wanna -- sort of get these guys together to talk about their experiences then and expressed their their feelings and frustrations.

Through.

Theater piece and I very much wanted to do it.

-- -- theater in Chicago and ended up doing it about two or three years later.

-- -- You know actors to the actors were actual Vietnam veterans but.

You know unlike the -- -- -- and in Los Angeles which is almost all Vietnam veterans my guys were just actors and I wanted to get them very much involved in the end feeling the same way -- -- about portraying our Vietnam veteran and honestly and and get -- -- -- by spending a lot of time with Vietnam veterans groups in the city of Chicago.

What's -- -- -- foundation and a.

Well Alan alone over the past ten years I've been very very active since our deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq can.

Been very actively supporting.

Our troops and first responders and doing what I can't entertain them and help raise money for organizations that are supporting them.

You know I've been there have been so busy with that and having started a band.

That I -- up calling the lieutenant Dan band.

Buddy of mine ended up asking me if he could -- some of the work that I was -- on behalf of the troops and he ended up doing that and put this beautiful documentary together -- lieutenant Dan band for the common good that kind of documents a lot of this troop support work and it kind of exposes.

The viewer to what I see when I go out there and visit with our troops are first responders and families.

The gold star families you know who lost the level on the wounded warriors.

There's new recruits.

Varying ages and you know even going going to Iraq he followed me to -- were actually get to see -- -- through this film.

You know just how courageous and and exceptional our troops are -- what they're doing out there.

But you're really a film -- -- way to LT Dan band movie dot com and -- -- every four dollars goes to the Gary -- foundation.

Well the media and the foundation is I was about to say it was was.

That's that's kind of an outgrowth of just stole -- -- support work that I've been doing.

Got to a point or assemble.

You know where -- -- go from here I've been involved and so many organizations and raised.

You know helped raise a lot of money for various causes regarding our troops and first responders and families and what not one of the efforts that's even -- depicted in the film.

He is.

The New York firefighters that I ended up doing a concert to raise money to build something called the Brooklyn wall of remembrance which is a wonderful tribute -- at KeySpan park in Brooklyn.

Debt is.

You know Etsy has as a national memorial that honors all the first responders that were killed on nine elevenths.

I ended up these you know helping to build that and getting involved and so many different efforts.

And I just can't I can't be everywhere -- -- support these things so I thought the next logical step was to create a foundation work.

People if they wanna directory sources to will direct them to -- the right places will make sure that good things happen.

If you wanna support troops and first responders you can go to.

Else he'd -- -- -- dot com and and one out of every four dollars.

That goes to the movie to -- the movies will go to the foundation and between July 4 and the thirtieth.

Anybody going to that web site to -- T -- man movie dot com to view that film.

Will will be able to see this film online it's kind of a new deal like paper view on line it's very interesting way that -- -- I would hope that we've got -- on the point our country where whether you agree or disagree with the wars in the ones we have right now are really controversial.

That you know taken down on the returning soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country.

Well only hope so I mean that's what that's one of the -- -- and motivate -- for me address and I was involved with many many Vietnam veterans groups and I remember all too well how they were treated when he came home and and -- -- has so many of them are still suffering from from not only what date what date.

Went through and Vietnam but then how they were treated when -- came home and all I know a lot of Vietnam veterans out there that are.

You know there healing part of there healing process right now -- to make sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to returning.

Warriors today and that's that's part of my mission is just to make sure that.

Look at we're gonna deploy these troops.

You know -- you know -- -- troops get deployed somewhere.

By whoever is the president is whether Democrat or Republican.

I don't I don't care you know I'm I'm supporting the troops now I was supporting the troops with the previous president had been.

Supporting veterans for many many many years now through.

All kinds of administrations and and we're lucky to have an all volunteer service it's it's a good thing for our country to have people who want to serve out there and if they do we should take care.

Wherever you go people call you lieutenant and you can't escape -- you take that however is an honor.

Well you know I started visiting the troops in in Iraq get all around the world and I would just go out and shake hands and take pictures.

This is before -- I took the band with me.

And the band prior to that was just a group of musicians that I played with for fun and I kept talking of the USO about let me take.

Take them with me to entertain and that -- I they finally.

That I could.

I have been everywhere I went you're identifying me as would understand.

Most of them didn't even know what my real name was so.

Guard Gary Sinise and the lieutenant Dan band -- -- But now I think -- tournaments -- you are so it's LT thanks for lieutenant LT Dan band movie dot com check it out.

Gary thank you very much for talking -- was not appreciated very much to do it on thank.

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