Celebrities Are Paying Moving Tribute To Gary Sinise For His Service To Military Vets With #GratefulLikeGary
You might recall Gary Sinise from his roles in films like Of Mice and Men (which he also directed), Apollo 13, George Wallace, and his Academy Award-nominated role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump. On television, he played Mac Taylor on CSI: NY for close to a decade. And when Sinise isn't performing, he's working on behalf of military vets, a journey that he chronicles in his new book, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service.
In honor of Sinise's service to veterans––the Gary Sinise Foundation has for years worked on behalf of veterans, first responders and their families––a bunch of Sinise's celebrity friends got together and created a surprise video tribute for him.
The video tribute was the brainchild of four-star General (RET) Robin Rand, CEO of the Gary Sinise Foundation, who rallied Sinise's friends and a few war veterans to commemorate Sinise's more than four decades of service to military veterans, their families, and others in need.
The video is part of a social media campaign titled #GratefulLikeGary, and the full list of those who participated in the video includes a who's who of Hollywood stars alongside active duty military vets who've benefited from the work of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Here are just some of the people who participated:
General Colin Powell, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Ron Howard, Robin Roberts, Steve Buscemi, Jay Leno, Judd Apatow, Maria Shriver, Mayim Bialik, Rob Lowe, Tim Allen, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Mantegna, Sela Ward, Aaron Eckhart Richard Rawlings, Patricia Heaton, Jeff Perry, Iliza Shlesinger, Kellie Pickler, Donal Logue, and Medal of Honor Recipient Drew Dix.
You can watch the video tribute below:
#GratefulLikeGaryyoutu.be
Awesome, right?
Huge thanks to General Colin Powell, Tom Hanks, Kristin Chenoweth, military, first responders, and so many others w… https://t.co/En0iecOczu— GarySiniseFoundation (@GarySiniseFoundation) 1549989630.0
The #GratefulLikeGaryCampaign asks individuals to participate in a moment of gratitude by doing two things: sharing the video on social media and including a comment or video expressing why they are #GratefulLikeGary for the kindness and dedication of someone who's impacted their lives.
The campaign's really taken off and people couldn't help but share their praise for Sinise.
We're so grateful for @GarySinise, and we're #GratefulLikeGary, too. ❤️ https://t.co/JoBQzvE2q3— Mayim Bialik (@Mayim Bialik) 1549994700.0
Good man. #GratefulLikeGary https://t.co/GiKfBJSlwd— Dan Thomas (@Dan Thomas) 1550009007.0
We at Support The Enlisted Project are #GratefulLikeGary for our service members and our community working TOGETHER… https://t.co/YqQewmX1EU— STEP (@STEP) 1550011291.0
Others shared what they're grateful for:
I’m grateful for my fans and the chance to create art on my own terms. #GratefulLikeGary https://t.co/3uqhtXuR1X— Iliza Shlesinger (@Iliza Shlesinger) 1550020069.0
I am #GratefulLikeGary to be in #WashingtonDC with my buddy @GarySinise on his #publicity tour for his… https://t.co/wyUZ7RdZ0P— Tim Clemente (@Tim Clemente) 1550068752.0
#GratefulLikeGary for all of the men and women in our armed services and our first responders. #GratefulLikeGary fo… https://t.co/8bbESdsUGh— Camp Resilience (@Camp Resilience) 1550090951.0
Sinise was "in complete shock" over the video tribute.
This is too sweet! ❤️ See @GarySinise's emotional reaction after watching the #GratefulLikeGary video:… https://t.co/7tSecAUkCj— People (@People) 1550020596.0
Kudos, sir. You are a national treasure.