BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --
Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band performed a concert at Barksdale Air Force Base on March 3, 2017.
The Lt. Dan Band, named after Sinise’s character in the movie “Forrest Gump,” travels to military installations to raise morale for service members and their families.
“We do whatever we can to make sure you know you are appreciated,” said Sinise onstage during the concert. “We can’t do it without you. You are our defenders and we appreciate everything you do for us.”
Since 2004, the Lt. Dan Band has performed hundreds of shows for service members all over the world. This was the first time the Lt. Dan Band performed at Barksdale.
In 2011, the Gary Sinise Foundation was established to help support service members, veterans, first responders and their families. Soaring Valor is one of the programs of the foundation provides. This program sends World War 2 veterans to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and records the veterans’ stories so they can be preserved.
“This man is an American hero,” said Lt. Col. Steven Smith, 93rd Bomb Squadron Flight Instructor. “He is a saint.”
The Lt. Dan Band will perform next at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.