Gary Sinise, an angel on earth. I remember the first time I saw him on-screen acting as Lt. Dan in the iconic film Forrest Gump, little did I know what he would go on to do with his success. In his career spanning from 1978-2020, he starred in films such as The Green Mile, Apollo 13, and Reindeer Games, to his most recent role in 13 Reasons Why (2020). 
However, none of those roles had a more profound impact on the generations of veterans than Lt. Dan. The gritty disheveled veteran with no love for the new guys was similar to my experience when I got to my platoon before we flew into Iraq. FNG’S am I right? 
I cannot count how many times our truck talks devolved into my brothers and me screaming Forrest Gump quotes at each other. One of the most used was (“Lt. Dan, Ice cream!”). It’s Zero-dark thirty and you have a bunch of sleep-deprived, sweaty, hungry Cav scouts running through your village with no lights on and that’s all you hear a bunch of wailing banshees with Miley Cyrus’s Party In The USA as the backtrack to our screeching. If there is a better way to strike fear into your enemy's hearts I have yet to see it.
But one of the most prolific of the quotes you can pull from that movie is this. “Forrest, I never thanked you for saving my life."
I like to think I can speak for a lot of veterans when I say this. Lt. Dan, We never thanked you for saving our lives.
Looking past his acting accolades, of which there are many. The list of his humanitarian awards and recognitions is worth more than their weight in gold. What an absolute legend and a man to aspire to be, so from everyone here at Regiment thank you for all you have done and continue to do for veterans and our families. Thank you for your service, Lt. Dan!
- 2007 – the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment
- 2008 – the Presidential Citizens Medal by President George W. Bush.
- 2008 – Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition
- 2008 – Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Cal State Stanislaus
- 2009 – Spirit of the USO Award from the USO
- 2012 – Boy Scouts of America Leader of the Year
- 2012 – United States Navy, Honorary Chief Petty Officer
- 2012 – Spirit of Hope Award from the Department of Defense
- 2013 – Civic Statesmanship Award
- 2013 – Honorary Marine
- 2015 – United States Military Academy, Thayer Award
- 2016 – FDNY, Honorary Battalion Chief
- 2017 – James Cardinal Gibbons Medal from The Catholic University of America
- 2017 - George Catlett Marshall Medal Award from the Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
- 2018 – The Kennedy Center Award for the Human Spirit (Citizen Artist)
- 2018 – American Spirit Award from The National WWII Museum
- 2018 – Grand Marshal, Rose Bowl Game, Honorary
- 2019 – The Eisenhower Award from Business Executives for National Security
- 2019 – Marine Corps League Honorary Membership
- 2020 – United States Naval Academy, Honorary Graduate
- 2020 – The Congressional Medal of Honor Society Patriot Award
-RG Wuzums (Anthony Emmerson)