We're moving to Nashville!

?Lt. Dan in the Volunteer State: Why Gary Sinise is moving his veteran-focused nonprofit to Tennessee

By Cole Villena

Gary Sinise Foundation moving veteran-focused nonprofit to Tennessee (tennessean.com)

Gary Sinise is bringing his veterans-focused nonprofit to the Volunteer State.

The "Forrest Gump" actor and philanthropist told The Tennessean that the Gary Sinise Foundation will move into a new headquarters in Franklin this summer. He also plans to move to the state with his family.

"It will be very, very good to be in a state that's connected to seven other states, all of them with military bases and many, many veterans and all those communities around Tennessee," Sinise said. "Having our foundation more centrally located in the country will be a very, very positive thing for the work that we do."

The Gary Sinise Foundation has been based in Los Angeles since its founding in 2011. The organization?provides several initiatives for service members, veterans and their families.?

The R.I.S.E. program, for example,?builds adapted smart homes for severely wounded individuals and provides those homes mortgage-free. The organization's 77th home is located in Clarksville and is owned by retired Sgt. Christopher Kurtz, who lost both legs while serving with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan.

The Foundation has also coordinated trips for World War II veterans to visit the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and to have oral histories of their experiences archived. In April 2020, the Foundation launched a program to provide grant assistance, equipment and other support to first responders in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have a very flexible mission," Sinise said. "It's crafted in such a way that we can adapt to change, and as the needs change, so does the foundation."

?The organization will continue to operate existing chapters in San Diego and Orlando.

?'I'm there for good'

Sinise, whose acting credits include "Apollo 13," "CSI: NY" and "George Wallace," is perhaps best known as Lt. Dan Taylor in "Forrest Gump." His performance as the gung-ho Vietnam War solider who returns home as a double amputee with severe psychological trauma helped him connect with real American veterans at USO events and hospital visits.

"I could have gone on one trip and visited one hospital, and then gone on and done other things," Sinise said. "Just coming into a hospital room and visiting with somebody who was badly, badly injured —?and his family standing over him, hoping and praying that he was going to get better —?I could see what just walking into that room was doing for that wounded service member and the family. And then I did it again, and then I did it again and then I kept doing it."

The 9/11 terror attacks and the United States' subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq helped galvanize Sinise's?philanthropic work. In 2003, he formed the Lt. Dan Band, a rock cover band that tours military bases across the world. He supported?various veteran-focused organizations and won?civilian service awards including the?Presidential Citizens Medal before establishing the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011.

"It just became a very, very important and active part of my life over the years," Sinise said. "I guess the military community has recognized that, you know, I'm in the game with them, and I'm there for good. They're not getting rid of me."

?Moving to Tennessee?

Sinise said his move was initially motivated by his family.

"I've been in California for 35 years?and was thinking of next steps that might be exciting?for the family. We have little grandchildren," Sinise said.?"I had a lot of friends there (in Tennessee).?It's a great entertainment industry there. They're very, very supportive of veterans and would be a good place for the foundation and the family."

Tennessee's reputation as the Volunteer State —?a 200-year-old nickname that salutes?the state's strong history of military service —?provides a practical benefit for the foundation. The state is home to around 430,000 veterans according to census data,?and surrounding states hold large military bases such as Fort Campbell (Tennessee and Kentucky),?Fort Bragg (North Carolina) and Fort Benning (Georgia).

?"I've been traveling across the country multiple times a year for decades now," Sinise said.?"Our move to the Nashville area is going to be a great benefit, not only to the family but to the foundation."

?Sinise said that normal Tennesseans don't necessarily need to write a check to a nonprofit to help support veterans.

"There are men and women who have served or are currently serving our country everywhere, in every state,?and if every citizen just made it a priority or took some responsibility just to let those folks know that what they do is appreciated —?and you can do that in different ways by just buying them a meal, or patting them on the back or saying thank you, or donating to an organization that provides all kinds of different programming."