Gary Sinise Says Playing ‘Lieutenant Dan’ Changed His Career, Connected Him With U.S. Veterans

Getty Images | Paul Morigi

It has been over a quarter of a century since actor and activist Gary Sinise took on the role of Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump.” The iconic and memorable role altered the course of Sinise’s career forever and inspired countless veterans.

“I could not have foreseen that the Lt. Dan character would be a character that has a life of its own beyond the movie,” Sinise explained, speaking to the USO back in 2014. “It’s been a blessing and a benefit to be able to have this association with [the] wounded in our military community.”

Sinise in a U.S. Army Apache helicopter during a tour of the flight line at the Contingency Operating Base in Speicher, Iraq, on May 21, 2007 ©Getty Images | Mike Theiler/USO

Sinise’s portrayal of Lt. Dan in the 1994 blockbuster movie “Forrest Gump” was one of the most realistic portrayals of a tormented, wounded veteran in cinematic history. The role ignited a lifelong passion for helping veterans around the world for the patriotic actor.

In the movie, the cantankerous Lt. Dan loses his legs in Vietnam and is tragically confined to a wheelchair. He later grudgingly works with Forrest Gump, his former military comrade, in a startup shrimping business. Despite his demons, Lt. Dan eventually makes a fortune and finds his happiness by investing in Apple stock, being fitted with prosthetic legs, and getting married.

Sinise’s pitch-perfect portrayal of the troubled veteran earned the actor a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars. Perhaps more enduringly, it inspired Sinise to honor a philanthropic pursuit close to his heart: helping U.S. veterans.

According to the New York Post, Sinise was invited to a Disabled American Veterans national convention in Chicago just four weeks after the release of “Forrest Gump.” In accepting, Sinise realized that Lt. Dan had really spoken to wounded soldiers.

“I realized early on that [Lt. Dan] was kind of an ice breaker,” Sinise told The Arizona Republic. “There were lots of veterans that were not in very good shape, and yet I would walk in and their faces would light up and they’d want to talk about the movie.”

Sinise and fellow cast members from "Forrest Gump" pose with their award during the 21st Annual People's Choice Awards at Universal City Studios on March 5, 1995. ©Getty Images | Vince Bucci/AFP

Sinise reached out to the non-profit United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) and began joining them for meet-and-greets for the troops overseas. He started out by visiting Iraq in June of 2003.

Sinise admitted to Pickler & Ben that nobody knew his real name; he was simply known as “Lieutenant Dan” by the military masses.

“[Veterans] recognize some of the things Lt. Dan goes through,” Sinise later reflected, speaking to the Military Officers Association of America, “some of the understandable confusion, despair, anger, frustration, and loneliness [of] an isolated Vietnam veteran.”

The actor was himself raised in Illinois and has family ties to the U.S. military. His father served in the Navy during the Korean War, his brother-in-law was an Army medic, and his uncle was stationed in Japan.

Sinise meets wounded U.S. Army CW-4 Officer Leif Neely at Forward Operating Base Mazur in Iraq on May 20, 2007. ©Getty Images | Mike Theiler/USO

As a 5-year-old, Sinise was gifted a military uniform from his uncle to wear. “I wore that uniform as much as Mom allowed,” Sinise regales in his 2019 memoir “Grateful American,” as quoted by the New York Post. “To the store. To kindergarten. On Halloween. I even slept in it.”

The actor inaugurated The Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011 as a way to formally honor the service and sacrifice of U.S. veterans, military personnel, and first responders. According to Time, the foundation has donated equipment, specialized vehicles, and hundreds of thousands of meals to veterans, as well as building and giving away 70 “smart homes” adapted for severely wounded veterans and their families.

Through the foundation, Sinise has also been a vocal advocate for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Saxophonist Mitch Paliga, bass player Gary Sinise, and trumpet player Kirk Garrison of the Lt. Dan Band at Studio City, California, on Oct. 29, 2010 ©Getty Images | Alberto E. Rodriguez

An accomplished bass guitar player, Sinise even formed the touring “Lt. Dan Band” in 2004. As of 2020, the band performs around 50 shows a year for both active-duty troops and military veterans in the U.S. and overseas.

“[W]hen you see the story of Lt. Dan, that’s a hopeful story for our wounded veterans,” Sinise reflected, speaking to the USO, “because he’s a wounded combat veteran and he is also able to be successful in life.

“I’ve met a lot of [...] veterans over the years,” Sinise continued. “I just want them to know that they are appreciated, and not forgotten.”