Few actors in Hollywood are as loved and respected as the award-winning Gary Sinise, founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation and a hero to America’s heroes for his tireless work in assisting members of our nation’s military. As the country celebrates Memorial Day weekend, Sinise shared why helping America’s military has become his “personal life mission.”
“Memorial Day has been a longstanding tradition of remembrance for me and my family,” Sinise told Fox News Digital just before the start of the holiday. “As a nation, it’s incredibly important to honor the families of the fallen — the heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting and defending our country.”
Once again, the Forrest Gump star will be serving as the honorary grand marshal of Monday’s National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. A crowd of 250,000 people is expected to gather on Constitution Avenue to watch roughly 5,000 participants in the parade.
On Monday the National Memorial Day Parade returns to Constitution Avenue for the first time since 2019! Join @RobertIrvine, @JoeMantegna, @GarySinise, @EliYoungBand, and thousands of veterans & active duty military personnel as the tradition returns! https://t.co/GUpVSqQTvT pic.twitter.com/WEx7AKSQLk
— American Veterans Center (@AVCupdate) May 28, 2022
For Sinise, the holiday is a day for Americans to show their gratitude to the men and women who have served.
“When I think about my participation in this year’s Memorial Day Parade,” he said, “the first parade since before the pandemic, one simple word comes to mind: Gratitude. I am grateful for the opportunity to honor our fallen. I am grateful to support the families of our fallen heroes. And I am grateful for every day that I have — to continue paying it forward to these brave men and women and ensuring that their memory and legacy of service to our country will never be forgotten.”
Honoring our nation’s military has become the 67-year-old actor’s mission in life.
“Through my many travels, visiting combat zones, our wounded in the hospitals and especially spending time with our precious families of our fallen heroes — it has become a personal life mission to honor and remember those who selflessly serve and sacrifice so much,” Sinise said. “That is one of the many reasons why I created the Gary Sinise Foundation, because I want all our defender communities, our veterans, service members, first responders and their families who sacrifice alongside them to always know that there are grateful Americans who love and appreciate them.”
“And we’re here for them,” he vowed, “before, during and after the battle.”
Tune in to PBS Sunday at 8 pm ET as @GarySinise & GSF Ambassador @JoeMantegna co-host the National Memorial Day Concert, honoring the men & women who have given their lives for our country & a salute to their families who continue to grieve. Learn more @ https://t.co/SIGSGRGl4Y pic.twitter.com/RGwTleyFCr
— GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFound) May 27, 2022
Sinise, who has been actively working with veterans, first responders, and defenders for nearly 40 years, founded the Gary Sinise Foundation more than a decade ago. The organization creates and supports “unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities,” according to the website.
In April, the foundation announced it will be moving its headquarters from Los Angeles, CA, to Nashville, TN. Noting that some 430,000 veterans currently live in Tennessee, the move will “allow the foundation to expand its reach and service to more veterans, defenders, heroes and first responders who sacrifice so much,” the group said at the time.
“In addition, Tennessee and the neighboring states are in proximity to numerous active military installations and facilities,” the foundation told Fox News Digital. “The move to Nashville will facilitate even more engagement with local communities, including first responders and other heroes, around the United States.”
Sinise calls the move “an exciting change.”
“After 35 years in California, I began thinking about the possibility of relocating,” he said of the decision to move — one he said was “a family decision.”
“With so many friends in the area, a great entertainment industry and its central location, I concluded it would be an exciting change for our family,” he said.
The move, for the Sinise family and for the Gary Sinise Foundation headquarters, is expected to happen by summer.
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