Actor Gary Sinise Honors National Ernie Pyle Day in Throwback Post

Actor Gary Sinise speaks onstage during the "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" panel discussion at the CBS/ShowtimeTelevision Group portion of the 2015 Winter TCA Tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2016. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Actor Gary Sinise is honoring the legacy of journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Ernie Pyle through a series of tribute posts on social media.

“In 2009, it was my great good fortune of being asked by Tom Hanks to read the words of Pulitzer Prize winning American journalist and war correspondent Ernie Pyle, for the @WWIImuseum extraordinary film, Beyond All Boundaries,” he wrote on Twitter on Aug. 3.

“Beyond All Boundaries” is a visual, 4D experience of WWII featuring stories, archival footage and advanced special effects created for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Narrated by Tom Hanks, “Beyond All Boundaries” weaves in several words and stories from Ernie Pyle brought to life through Sinise’s narration.

Sinise starred opposite Tom Hanks in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump,” where he played Lieutenant Dan Taylor. His portrayal of his character earned him an Oscar nomination, according to IMDb.

“Ernie gave a voice to the common soldier during WWII, speaking of their trials & extreme challenges, not hiding away the realities of war. His writings during the war years are beautiful & heartbreaking. I have also had the opportunity to visit Ernie’s gravesite,” Sinise continued.

“The @ErniePyleLegacy Foundation established National Ernie Pyle Day today, August 3rd, his birthday, to celebrate Ernie’s life, & his impact on journalism. I encourage you to give them a visit, read his dispatches, & learn more about this great American, Happy Birthday Ernie,” Sinise concluded.

“[Ernie Pyle] was a masterful storyteller,” Jerry Maschino, Executive Director of the National Ernie Pyle Legacy Foundation, said in an interview, adding that Ernie Pyle “had the ability to listen to people, to hear their stories, and to write their stories.”

He added that Ernie Pyle wrote in a way that “everybody could understand...and everybody could relate.”

Born Aug. 3, 1900, Ernest Taylor Pyle, better known as Ernie Pyle, studied journalism at Indiana University. He went on to write feature columns for Scripps-Howard newspaper. During WWII, he became famous as a war correspondent who focused on the ordinary American soldiers instead of the battles.

In 1944, he won a Pulitzer Prize for “distinguished war correspondence during the year 1943” when he covered the North Africa campaign, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy, according to the official site of Pulitzer Prize winners.

In April 1945, Ernie Pyle was killed by enemy fire while covering the invasion of Okinawa on the island of Ie Shima.

“God bless you for your service and sacrifice. We will never forget,” Sinise added on Instagram.

Sinise has been an advocate of members of the U.S. military for nearly 40 years.

In 2011, he established the Gary Sinise Foundation. According to its website, its mission is “to serve and honor our nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs that entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities.”