Gary Sinise at the Nixon Library

[Music] thank you thank you so much for having me I'm happy to be here at the Nixon Library I had a fantastic tour very brief squeezed in about a half-hour tour so there's a lot a lot to see here but I'm gonna come back at some point and look around a little more I'm grateful for you having me tonight to come and talk about my book grateful American a journey from self to service it's my first book so that's a that's kind of a good thing very exciting life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you're gonna get anyone here see Forrest Gump up there anybody who didn't see Forrest Gump in here whoa dude it's on television like everyday you know it's the 25th anniversary of Forrest Gump this summer 25 years in Florida come certainly changed my life in many ways I'd only done a few movies up until that point nobody knew who I was so all of a sudden Here I am in the biggest movie in 1994 a couple of stories uh about three weeks after the movie opened I was I took my kids to Big Bear and we were it was the summer so we were playing in the pool and water parks and that kind of thing and I was in the pool with my kids just splashing around all of a sudden this little 12 year old kid says hey Lieutenant Dan you know and that all the other kids came around and this is three weeks after the movie came out and I was surrounded by you know 15 or 20 12 year old kids who had already seen the movie like three times so I figured movies going to be a hit that point and also that summer the summer of gump we'll call it I lived in Pasadena at the time and there was a you know again nobody knew who I was at that point and there was a speed bump out in front of our house and you know how the speed bumps say they bump so I came out to get the paper one day and there the bee had been turned into a G and it said Gump and so I started to panic a little bit wait a minute now now Gump is out in front of my house pinpointing my house a couple days later I get a knock at the door and it's a police officer and he says a sir been some break-ins in the neighborhood have you seen anything suspicious anything odd man I said no no nothing no suspicious you know I'll call you if anything happens and he says well okay okay and sir and he pulls out from behind his back a screenplay mr. Sinise I'm a writer and I wrote a script about a Vietnam veteran and when the police are bringing his scripts it's time to move from Pasadena so that's exactly what we did we moved to Malibu nobody's nobody's gonna do that there everybody's trying to get away from then it's hard to believe that that next summer next September actually will mark the 18th anniversary of a day when America endured one of our darkest moments on September 11 2001 our country was thrust into a war that still continues today our troops remain in Afghanistan our special operators have redeployed to Iraq and a fight against Isis and the dangers of the 21st century are clear and present and growing it seems we must never lose sight of any of this each day our defenders put their lives on the line and we are so fortunate to have them so I know there's some veterans in this audience with all the veterans please stand up active duty folks please stand up so we can thank you for your service to our country [Applause] can never do enough for our veterans right it's my great privilege to be able to speak with you all today to share a few stories and events and relationships that are included in my book it's truly been a journey from an early focus on self my career in acting building a theater company in Chicago pursue to my film work to the current mission of service to others and so many people have inspired me along the way as I think about that dark moment in our history I'm also thinking back to my first trip to Iraq to visit our troops in June of 2003 when I met a man who would affect my life greatly and become a very very dear friend this is New York City firefighter and former United States Marine John Viviano John was a living legend in the FDNY he passed away from cancer last year and he was an incredible and inspirational man who accomplished many things in his life but he would have told you his two greatest accomplishments were his son's NYPD detective Joseph Vizio no an FDNY firefighter with Ladder 132 in Brook Brooklyn John Viviano the second among the thousands killed on 9/11 his two sons gave their lives in the twin towers collapse two sons who laid down their lives trying to rescue others John would talk to his sons on the phone each day while they were working around 3:30 p.m. on September 10th John talked with John Jr for the last time and they ended the call by saying I love you the next morning Joe called his father telling him early details of the terrorist attack that call also ended with I love you on the loss of his sons John reflected saying we had John for 36 years and Joe for 34 years I don't have any could have should have or would have I wouldn't have changed anything it's not many people that the last words they say to their son or daughter was I love you he was on that first major USO tour to Iraq to visit our troops called Project salute that John and I met we sat down we were on a c-130 up from Kuwait going up to Baghdad and I sat down next to John he was wearing a button had a picture of his boys and I said what's the button and he told me the story of losing his sons told me about that terrible day and then he invited me to a firehouse he said have you ever been to a firehouse in New York City and I said no so he invited me to Ladder 132 where his son was stationed at this time of his death this particular firehouse in Brooklyn lost these six firefighters that morning listed here above our heads there I met many who had been to Ground Zero that day and I've learned much from John and the firefighters about the events of 9/11 2001 we had some fun that night - at Ladder 132 they eating dinner they dressed me up in a little all day they loved doing that and then they put me on a fire truck there was a there and the alarm went off and something happened they put me on the fire truck and I went out and somebody had fallen down an elevator shaft so they said here take this and they gave me this tool and other fire trucks from other companies were comin and they they stopped and I'm standing there holding this tool and these guys these firefighters are walking by me and they're looking at me funny I mean like what's he standing there holding that tool for him somebody fell down an elevator shaft you don't use that for that firefighter humor they wanted to make a little fun of Gary there we had a lot of fun it was the beginning of a tremendous relationship with the FDNY I've had I've made many many great friends over the years and in 2008 we would dedicate a memorial called the Brooklyn wall of remembrance on Coney Island it's right near Nathan's it's on the side of MCU Park it's a minor league ballpark there and I would raise the money to help build this memorial that honors 417 for 416 first responders that lost their lives on that day and one chaplain with the fire department it's a beautiful memorial featuring these granite photographs of each one of these first responders I played a concert at Brooklyn College in 2007 to raise the money with my band and and we built the memorial and it's there today so if you're ever in Brooklyn on Coney Island please go by the ballpark and see that and on the 10th anniversary of September 11th we would feature this memorial in an episode of my television shows CSI New York any CSI New York fans here today all right I bet you there's a few here that never watch CSI New York yeah that's alright but thank you you may those of you that saw the show you may remember an episode called indelible at the beginning of season eight that was the tenth anniversary of September 11th and we did a show that featured the Brooklyn wall and my character I actually recreated it was art imitating life because of the the dedication to the memorial I actually made a speech and so we almost recreated that moment and had my character on CSI New York stand in front of the wall and make a speech at the dedication of the wall that was featured in the episode and I was privileged to have many 9/11 family members standing there with me in the scene that I had met over the years and this is John Visio know a legendary firefighter standing right next to me you didn't have any lines but he stood there real good John was a great inspiration to me and I miss him dearly after losing both his boys and searching for their bodies are among the rubble for days and days seeing all the people who came from all over America to help search for other people's loved ones for other fellow Americans to pass out food and water to the rescue workers to give wherever they could and to be their very best at our country's darkest moment when John saw the outpouring of support of those who were there at Ground Zero immediately following the attacks on the World Trade Center he said to me more than once I think more good came out of September 11th than evil that was John America was truly at her best in our darkest moment and I take the time today to speak about John and 9/11 because I'm often asked how my work in support of our veterans and first responders began and I do point to that tragic moment in time as a turning point and a calling to serve in a greater capacity the journey from self to service that I share in my book many might also think the mission in support of our military began because of my role as Lieutenant Dan and Forrest Gump and while that certainly plays a part the first seeds were planted much closer to home beginning with the veterans on both my side of our family and my wife's side of our families I grew up in Chicago surrounded by veterans Chicagoans okay I was surrounded by veterans my grandfather here Daniel Sinise pictured here 101 years ago in 1918 served in the US Army in World War one as an ambulance driver on the frontlines in fat in France surviving the Battle of the Argonne one of the worst battles in the history of our armed forces my two uncles served in World War two one Gary Sinise served on a ship in the Pacific and the other Jackson he's flew 30 missions over Europe as a navigator and a b-17 bomber my father Robert served in the US Navy in the early 50s during the Korean War and on my wife's side of the family her two brothers served in the US Army Army during Vietnam Arthur Harris was a Combat Assault helicopter pilot 800 combat hours and the older brother Boyd McKenna Harris was a West Point graduate who served two tours once as a lieutenant a platoon leader and again as a captain a company commander during his second tour pictured here he would receive the Silver Star for gallantry in combat the third highest military decoration for valor awarded to members of the military [Applause] so after his return home he would become a major he would teach at West Point then he would rise in rank to lieutenant colonel and unfortunately in 1983 he was diagnosed with cancer and passed away while teaching leadership at Fort Leavenworth I learned so much from this man in the short time that I knew him he was a great man highly regarded by the army and I'm proud to say that at both West Point and Fort Leavenworth awards are presented in his name annually to an outstanding student leader and in May of 2016 33 years after his death because of his tremendous contribution that still resonates and inspires our young leaders today the u.s. army inducted him into the Fort Leavenworth Hall of Fame 33 years after his death my wife sister Amy served in the Army during the Cold War leaving as a captain after eleven years of service but not before she met and married a Vietnam veteran Jack Reese who served as a combat medic in Vietnam and stayed in the Army for 22 years and Jack and Amy's son Gavin trees served in the Army for 13 years having completed two deployments Afghanistan in the infantry from World War one to World War two to Korea to Vietnam the Cold War to Afghanistan I'm proud to count my family members among America's families that defend us all [Applause] it was in the late 70s and into the early 80s that I sat and talked with a Vietnam veteran side of our family and I began to receive an education as to how bravely our Vietnam veterans had fought and how they felt at the shameful way they had been treated when they returned home so in the mid 80s I began to take action to try to make a positive difference in the lives of our Vietnam veterans spending time at the local VA at Great Lakes Naval Base near Chicago with those suffering from post-traumatic stress creating a vets night program at the theater I co-founded Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago where we provide free meals and performances for local veterans and we've done that since 1984 [Applause] and through my relationships with many of these veterans in the late 1980s I was able to support the building of a Veterans Memorial in Lansing Illinois continuing to talk to the Vietnam veterans in my own family it would be these early experiences and the knowledge I gained from them that would play an integral part in driving me in this mission today in 1987 my wife and I moved to Los Angeles and after many auditions and landing a few small roles in 1993 I had the opportunity to audition for Forrest Gump Lieutenant Dan well having spent years supporting our Vietnam veterans I desperately wanted to play the Vietnam veteran Lieutenant Dan Taylor there is I was lucky to lay on that part I looked at the role as there's another way to continue to honor our Vietnam veterans and the veterans in my wife's family by telling a story of one of their own Lieutenant Dan of course is a disabled veteran who faces the challenge of losing both his legs but also the greater challenge of carrying the terrible guilt of leading his platoon into an ambush that is responsible for getting many of his men killed or wounded a post-traumatic stress that drowns him in alcohol abuse and buries him in dark isolation unfortunately a familiar story of warriors coming home from war but his friend Forrest helps him a little bit through his darkest moments and then what happens they head out on the shrimp boat and they survived the hurricane and they remember Lieutenant Dan up there screaming at the hurricane and yelling what happens after that there's only one boat left the shrimp come pouring in and they start a shrimping business and they become millionaires and what happens to Lieutenant Dan he invests his money in some kind of Fruit Company right there a wise investment I would say for Lieutenant Dan Lieutenant Dan finally makes his peace with God it's a beautiful story of moving beyond the war experience and succeeding in life and that is the story that we want for every single veteran returning from war with isn't it we want that positive story [Applause] during the run of the film back in the 1990's it seemed the character of Lieutenant Dan had resonated with a lot of people especially those in the veteran community after the movies relief release I've received a call from Vietnam veteran named Gary Weaver who worked for the DAV that this disabled american veterans organization and he reached out to invite me to their national convention which happened to be in chicago that year they wanted to present me an award for playing a wounded veteran in what they called what they said was an honest portrayal of a catastrophic ly injured veteran who served his country to these veterans Lieutenant Dan had become a kind of symbol within our country's collective awareness of all our injured veterans and especially the Vietnam veteran already this character had grown beyond anything that I could have ever imagined I described this wonderful moment at the DAV convention in this passage in my book now I'll read a little bit the entire ballroom erupts into applause I choked up immediately the spotlight is focused on the podium center stage where I'll give my speech I walk up the wheelchair ramp leading to the podium and glance around it's a massive ballroom filled with hundreds and hundreds of disabled veterans plus their family members some of the veterans wear their uniforms others wear civilian clothes with hats that show which war they fought in or the unit or branch of the military they served with the atmosphere in the room is electric I see a wide range of Ages wounded veterans from World War two to the present it's a sea of men and women many with scars prosthetics burn marks crutches and wheelchairs and all wearing the unmistakable look of pride I'm stunned humbled the lump in my throat won't go down what have I ever done here are all these wounded and disabled veterans men and women who have sacrificed so much honoring me for merely playing a part in a movie the DAV national commander Richard marbs seen here standing on crutches with his right leg missing almost up to the hip presented me with a DAV commander's award one of the DAV s highest honor one of the DAV s highest honors and that 1994 convention began a relationship with the DAV that has lasted for 25 years and this award hangs prominently in my office in a place of honor it's very very special [Applause] so seven years after forrest gump opened our nation was attacked on our homeland one of the darkest moments in our history there's a healing power in service work and as my heart was broken after that terrible day as fear crept in as to what the future would hold for our country I needed to do something to assuage that fear and to help heal that broken heart as our men and women in uniform stood to answer the call to preserve our country and destroy our nation's enemies my heart went with them and I was called to a new action to support them in any way I could to make sure that our warriors responding to the attacks of 9/11 would never be forgotten or neglected as our Vietnam veterans had been and so what can an actor do I volunteered for the USO of course I've went I went on the first of many tours to Iraq in June 2003 twice to Iraq that year the second trip in November seen here where we entertained over 6,000 troops in one of Saddam Hussein's stock soccer stadiums that's that's where that is 6,000 troops there I was with Wayne Newton Wayne started entertaining the troops in Vietnam and I was with Chris Isaac country singer Neal McCoy Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were there it was a lot of fun and III just began going on tours taking pictures shaking hands with our service members many handshake tours to follow all around the world and wanting to you entertaining the spirit of the great Bob Hope and the many USO performers of the past I formed the Lieutenant Dan band in 2003 yes the Lieutenant Dan band over the past 16 years we've performed over 400 free concerts for our troops at home and abroad it was September 11 2003 after my first visit to Fort Stewart Georgia that I began regular trips to see our wounded at military hospitals in the DC area with visits to Bethesda Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed over the years I've seen servicemembers in hospitals in war zones seen here at Camp anaconda in Balad Iraq and across our country at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in San Antonio at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Diego at Naval Medical Center at Balboa and also in Germany and Landstuhl Medical Center and these visits have allowed me to experience firsthand the struggles and needs of our most severely wounded and I wanted to do something to take action to meet those needs as we have so many critically injured in the post 9/11 war on terror having been involved with supporting many military charities over the years in 2011 I decided to launch the Gary Sinise foundation to serve and honor the needs of our active-duty military families our veterans and our first responders with many programs supporting our wounded our gold star families our first responders and more I'd like to share a short video with you family we share our joy lieutenant we count on them in troubled times they're ones who make us proud so many of us have been inspired by the service of a relative who's of sacrifices motivate us to do more to be more but family is not limited by the bonds of blood or name it is shaped by the stories we share the freedoms we cherish and the nation we love and defend family is at the center of all we do at the Gary Sinise foundation our mission is to honor our defenders veterans first responders and always their loved ones who sacrifice alongside you because that's what you do for family our commitment to family begins with our Rise programs our severely wounded injured ill and aging heroes often live in total reliance on caregivers for tasks most of us take for granted rise was established to provide these heroes and their families with specially adapted smart homes mortgage free and custom built from the ground up as well as modifications to existing homes mobility devices and adapted vehicles rise is restoring independence and supporting empowerment for families across America our relief and resiliency programs keep families strong and spirits high we provide hope a program that offers support to those who are experiencing trauma illness injury or loss sometimes with assistance as simple as paying bills or buying groceries our invincible spirit festival is to celebrate the courage of our wounded heroes their caregivers and the families on the road to recovery at America's National Military Medical Center's each festival includes a cookout by celebrity chef Robert Irvine and a concert by the Lieutenant Dan band the band continues to tour the nation in support of our defenders and their loved ones with a mission to deliver honor gratitude and rock and roll our newest program snowball Express serves the children of our fallen military heroes surviving spouses and gold star families in December 2018 we brought together 17 hundred and twenty two kids and their surviving parent or guardian for a five-day retreat of hope and healing at the happiest place on earth Disney our community outreach and education programs honor the sacrifice of heroes from every generation and ensure their service will be remembered for years to come soaring valor sends our greatest generation World War two veterans to New Orleans to tour the national World War two museum built in their honor students accompanied our veterans learning the important lessons and history of World War two firsthand bridging the gap between old and young helping to ensure our future generations never forget our ambassadors Council includes philanthropic celebrities severely injured veterans Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and dedicated supporters of the military they inspire educate and remind communities to recognize their local veterans and honor the sacrifices made by all of America's defenders since nothing offers an opportunity to bond like sharing a meal together serving heroes shows gratitude to our nation's defenders by serving up classic American meals nationwide and at military outposts in Germany and Korea a reminder to all who serve that we do not forget and arts and entertainment outreach invites anyone who is served to join us for a free dinner and dress rehearsal performance at one of the nation's premier theaters extending our hand in support and appreciation of veterans across the generation when catastrophe strikes our families trust in the protection of our first responders these men and women are vital to the safety and security of our communities through our first responders outreach we provide funds for equipment training and wellness to America's firefighters police and EMTs at the Gary Sinise foundation we've worked tirelessly to keep our defenders and their loved ones strong each and every day we are honored to know our efforts have inspired so many to join our mission what started as a passion of one is now over $50,000 strong but there is always so much more to be done and we must do all we can to meet the critical needs of our defenders join the Gary Sinise foundation family as we show the pride and gratitude of our nation to all its heroes and the families that stand by their sides what we can never do enough for our defenders veterans first responders and the loved ones who sacrifice right alongside them thank you you guys are awesome that we can always do a little more help serve our nation's defenders and their loved ones now visit Gary Sinise foundation.org [Music] [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Applause] thank you it's been an incredible journey I appreciate that very much I met the most extraordinary people serving in our military and his first responders and these men and women inspire me each and every day to try to be a better man many years ago when I began this journey it became abundantly clear that we can never do enough for those who serve and who sacrificed to defend our precious liberty and freedom but I also learned that we can always do a little more with the amazing support of the American people and with God's help we will keep trying to do just that there's a message that I want to deliver in this book I love my country I'm grateful to be an American I know where my freedom comes from and I do not take it for granted or the sacrifices of those who provided because of that I want to do all I can to ensure America's defenders and their families are never forgotten I want this book to help spread a spirit of joy tribute appreciation action and ultimately gratefulness in it you'll read how a wild and crazy kid from the suburbs of Chicago stumbled into theater with many ups and downs and hard knocks along the way how he eventually developed from an actor into an advocate the amazing and inspiring people he has met along the way and how that inspiration has manifested into a passionate commitment to take action to support our nation's defenders continually with every ounce of energy within me I will continue to try to do my bit to ensure that we always remember where our precious freedom comes from and that the sacrifices made to protect that freedom are never forgotten or taken for granted this is a great country we have a lot to be thankful for and in these turbulent times it's easy to forget that I'm truly a grateful American I hope this book will touch you and I appreciate your allowing me to speak tonight god bless you god bless our nation's defenders and god bless our great country thank you very much [Applause] ladies and gentlemen real quick Gary mentioned these significance about this book and I believe each one of you has a copy could we hold it up for a photograph I just think it looks so cool [Applause] taking a picture right now ladies and gentlemen Gary Sinise thank you sir for coming we appreciate you thank you all for coming enjoy your evening we will see you next time bye-bye [Applause]

Channel: Richard Nixon Foundation

Views: 1,908

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Richard Nixon, Nixon Library, Gary Sinise, Sinise Foundation, Forrest Gump

Id: JLugz6nXows

Length: 38min 25sec (2305 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 07 2019