Episode 5: Gary Sinise

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About Our Guest

“While we can never do enough for our defenders and their loved ones, we can always do a little more.”
– Gary Sinise

Gary Sinise’s stage, film and television career has spanned more than four decades. In 1974, at 18 years old, he co-founded Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company where he served as Artistic Director for seven years.  Now in its fifth decade as a professional theatre company, Steppenwolf has received national and international recognition from the media, theatre critics, and audiences alike.

He has starred in or directed over a dozen productions at the renowned theatre, some of which played on or off Broadway, earning multiple Tony award nominations, and winning a Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Joseph Jefferson Award, and Regional Theatre Tony Award for his work with the theatre.

20 years into his career, for his performance as Lt Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump, he received nominations for Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards, and earned the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Board of Review and the Commander’s Award from the Disabled American Veterans. His other film credits include Apollo 13, Ransom, Snake Eyes, Impostor, The Green Mile, Mission to Mars, The Human Stain, I Still Believe, and Good Joe Bell. Gary starred as Jack Garrett on the series Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, and for nine seasons as Detective “Mac” Taylor on the hit series CSI: NY, both of which aired on CBS. His most recent television work was on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.  He is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and two-time SAG Award winner for his roles in Truman and George Wallace, and a SAG Award nominee for his role in The Stand.

Gary also directed two feature films: Of Mice and Men, which he co-produced and co-starred in with John Malkovich, and Miles from Home starring Richard Gere, Kevin Anderson, Helen Hunt and John Malkovich.

For nearly 40 years, Gary has stood as an advocate on behalf of America’s service members. It began in the early ‘80s, supporting local Vietnam veterans’ groups in the Chicago area, and into the ‘90s, when his portrayal of Lt. Dan formed an enduring connection with service members throughout the military community, and as he worked on behalf of the Disabled American Veterans organization, which he continues to actively support today. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Sinise’s dedication to our nation’s active-duty defenders, veterans, first responders and their families has become a tireless crusade of support, service, and gratitude for all those who protect our freedom and serve our country.

In 2011, Sinise established the Gary Sinise Foundation with a mission to serve our country by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need. The Foundation’s four programmatic pillars are their way of “doing a little more” for those who sacrifice so much for the country.

Sinise serves as spokesperson for both the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation and Disabled American Veterans. He serves on executive councils for The Medal of Honor Foundation and the USO, and is an advisory board member for Hope for the Warriors.

In recognition of his humanitarian work on behalf of our troops and veterans, Sinise has earned many distinguished awards including The Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment from the Medal of Honor Society, the Spirit of the USO Award, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Spirit of Hope Award by the Department of Defense, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association and West Point’s Thayer Award. In 2008 he was given the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor awarded to citizens for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation, only the third actor ever to receive this honor. He was recently named an honorary Chief Petty Officer by the Navy and an Honorary Marine by the United States Marine Corp.

In 2019, his autobiography, Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service, was released and immediately became a New York Times Bestseller. It is the inspiring, entertaining, and profound story of how a young “rough around the edges” kid from Chicago eventually, through his very personal and unique journey, found his calling: to ensure that our nation’s defenders, who serve this country and its freedoms, are never forgotten.

Giving back to those who sacrifice for our nation and encouraging others to do the same has become Gary Sinise’s personal quest and what he hopes will endure as a legacy of service to others.

Learn more about Gary at GarySinise.com or follow him on Social Media

Episode transcript (generated by AI):

Voice over (male) (00:00):
The American Hero Show featuring Travis Mills from generals to grandparents, superheroes, to superintendents, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. This is the American Hero Show.

Travis Mills (00:23):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the American Heroes Show. We are so happy that you’re tuning in and listening to us. I know it’s not my sweet voice, but Tim Eisenhardt sweet voice. Tim, what’s up, winner? Tell me something special.

Tim Eisenhart (00:35):
I got all kinds of special things. Here’s one special thing. You get to hang out with me for the next 30 minutes.

Travis Mills (00:41):
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

Tim Eisenhart (00:42):
Who’s the lucky one? Now,

Travis Mills (00:43):
I tell you what, I am caught my lucky stars. I’m

Tim Eisenhart (00:45):
Actually feeling very fortunate that I get to sit in the studio again with you.

Travis Mills (00:49):
I know. It was weird. I mean, we reached out to my good friend Garris Nee, who I tell people I’m friends with, and Garris Nee is like, yeah, I’ll do your podcast. I was like, oh my gosh, it’s coming true. I’ve always said I’m his best friend, but I don’t know if he ever knew that he was my best friend. And then he did know that, and he’s like, yeah, I’ll be on your show. And I’m so fired up for him to be here today. And Tim, I’ll tell you what, I was excited that you’re excited to be on the podcast show with him as well.

Tim Eisenhart (01:14):
I couldn’t believe that Gary Sinise was the name you told me because he’s been in some of my favorite roles, has one of my favorite scenes in any movie, and I’m just hoping I don’t fanboy on him.

Travis Mills (01:25):
Which one was that? What’s the favorite scene?

Tim Eisenhart (01:26):
My favorite scene was in Forrest Gump when he finally came, literally came to Jesus sitting on top of the mast during the storm, the big storm that created Bubble Gump. And he was swearing at God and saying, come and get me. And finally realized that he’s no longer going to blame anybody and that he’s going to start taking life by the tail and getting after it. And I really feel like that’s what he’s doing. Now,

Travis Mills (01:49):
Tim and I are sitting here and I saw Tim Gary didn’t see this. Tim pulled his camera out and took a picture without you seeing couldn’t, the screen couldn’t because you literally are Gary Sinis. There’s not a lot of lookalikes like you because no one can look that gosh darn good. But you, sir, are a winner and thanks so much for joining the American Heroes Show. The idea on premise behind it is people look at me and they think, whoa, you’re inspirational. And they don’t realize that one of the reasons I’m able to do the work that I do is because of our meeting me and you having the chance to meet because you made time in your busy schedule being a Hollywood superstar to come to the hospital and visit me and say, Hey man, we got you. I don’t know if you realize how much you impacted my life and the outcome of what I’ve done with the Travis Mills Foundation and things like that, but I can remember sitting in my hospital bed and they’re like, Hey, Garris, nee is here to see you. And I’m like, okay, that’s cute. And they’re like, no, he is. So I haven’t really talked about this much, but you offered to build me a smart home. And at first I was like, no, I got a house in North Carolina. And you’re like, no, I don’t think you understand. We’re going to take care of you at the foundation, and that’s what we do for people in your situation. So I can’t thank you enough, but Mr. Sneeze, I’m just gushing over here, Tim, but how are we doing today, Mr. Snee? What’s going on? I

Gary Sinise (02:58):
Appreciate that guys. Thank you. I remember, gosh, Travis, I mean it’s got to be coming up on 10 years in 2022 for you, right?

Travis Mills (03:10):
Yes, sir. I have more weight and less hair. But you’ve been a part of some really incredible things, and I know a lot of people will know your backstory and things like that, but they don’t probably realize that 18, you started your own theater house and you’re just like, you know what? I’m going to do this. I’m going to crush it away. You went over the last, I don’t know how many years. I mean, you’re 43, 44, something like that. You have just been doing some amazing work.

Gary Sinise (03:33):
Yes, yes. And you just knocked 23 years off

Travis Mills (03:37):
My age. Well, this is how you’re so good looking. What have you been up to these days? Let us in on what Gary Snee is up to.

Gary Sinise (03:43):
Well, gosh, bud, a lot of the same. I mean our foundation, GSF, we hit the end of our 10th year in June, so we celebrated 10 years and we’re in our 11th year now. We’ve got so much going on really in various spaces all around. We got another home dedication coming up next month. We just had one on Veterans Day crossed over 75 smart technology houses like yours and just pushing that program, the RISE program forward. We just finished our virtual snowball express program for the children of our fallen heroes. Usually we will bring, and I’ve been involved with this now going back to oh seven, usually we’ll bring over a thousand gold star kids together. We do it at Disney World now. We can’t do that. We couldn’t do it this year. We couldn’t do it last year because of COVID-19. And so we went kind of to a virtual event where we had 1800 kids tuning in online for a big six hour performance show and a lot of entertainment.

(04:52):
My band plays for ’em and all kinds of things going on, and it really is, we just want these look, when we bring them to Disney, we know where they are, we see them, we get ’em there, they’re on the airplane, they’re all there, they’re all together, and we know what’s going on. When you go virtual, you don’t know who’s tuning in or not. But we had a really good turnout and the American people supported this. We had a lot of people send in messages. We really brought a lot of these gold star families together over, I think it was upwards of 800 families came together on online Holy smokes, and a lot of good things, a lot of healing for somebody who’s lost a mom or a dad in military service. Lots of good bonding, lots of good joy and happiness and healing. So it was a very positive event. And we just finished that. I’m spending time with new leadership at the Gary Sinese Foundation. We have a new CEO, Mike Del Kristen Barter, who is our chief of staff and also VP of marketing. Now we have a new director of philanthropy and development Palmer, lots of new folks coming into the foundation, and we’re expanding and we’re growing and we’re building a really, really strong team, I think.

Travis Mills (06:06):
Yeah, absolutely. Is that Bobby George out there? Weed whacking? I’ll tell you what, I’ll call Bobby and let him know.

Gary Sinise (06:11):
Bobby,

Travis Mills (06:12):
How’s the family doing? How’s the kids and grandkids? And I mean the dogs, right?

Gary Sinise (06:17):
Well, Bobby George. Bobby George is director of Outreach for the foundation. He’s also my son-in-Law, as you know, and the father of three out of four grandchildren. I do

Travis Mills (06:28):
Know that,

Gary Sinise (06:30):
Which they’re here a lot and I have a lot of fun with that. While Bobby is working really hard at the foundation, getting great things done, I mean, we’re outreaching all over the place to veterans, first responders, gold star families, all of that. And the American people do a great job supporting us. We’re raising money and we always want to expand so we can always use a little more help from the American people, but we have a good solid base and we’re getting a lot done.

Voice over (male) (06:59):
The conversation continues in moments.

Voice over (female) (07:01):
The American Hero Show is brought to you by foundation’s, investment advisors, benefiting the Travis Mills Foundation. You’ve worked your entire life and now is the time to plan for the unknown. Just like what happened to Travis, you never know what life might throw at you. And things can change quickly even if you have a plan. Sometimes things happen that you can’t plan for. Foundation’s, investment advisors helps pre-retirees and retirees manage risks in the new normal economy as a fiduciary. Foundations does not charge commissions and works with independent advisors nationwide. To request your complimentary customized financial plan, go to american hero show.com.

Voice over (male) (07:41):
Now back to the American Hero Show with Travis Mills and Gary Sinise.

Travis Mills (07:47):
What makes you do it? I mean, if we boil it all down, there had to be, what was that one moment that you’re like, alright, I can do more. I’m a world famous superstar, but I can do something. What’s that defining moment that you think that you were just like, alright, I’m going to do something?

Gary Sinise (08:01):
Well, there’s a series. You and I have probably had this discussion a little bit, and I wrote about it quite extensively in my book. Marcus Brotherson, we have a connection there. Marcus helped me with my book and he helped you with yours. Did a great job, wonderful guy. In the book, I write about this journey going from my focus on acting to my focus on service, and that’s what the story is about.

Travis Mills (08:31):
But Gary, we got to say the book’s name we got so people can go, I know it’s sold out everywhere, but they probably replenished now. The book’s name was Grateful American. We got to make sure people know that.

Gary Sinise (08:40):
Yeah, grateful American, a journey from self to service, and I am a Grateful American. I mean, a lot of the seeds were planted years ago within my family and then Vietnam veterans, and then playing the Vietnam veteran and Forrest Gump and starting to visit our wounded. And then September 11th was really a galvanizing turn toward very, very active service life. And I think I was just scared and shocked into changing some of my goals and using some of the success that I’d had in movies and television to do more and to make more of this life than what had been going on. And certainly that awful event for so many. I mean, you sign up after that and I mean for so many people, that was a life-changing moment. And for me it was a turning point. In fact, and that’s what the chapter in my book is called, it’s called Turning Point, and it’s the September 11th chapter. And really that’s the chapter in the book that turns toward how actively I became in the service life and what I wanted to do for folks like you, Travis, who were going out there volunteering to go out and serve our country and deploying Afghanistan, Iraq, various places and getting banged up, getting hurt and families losing loved ones. And I just wanted to be a part of supporting you all.

Travis Mills (10:13):
Well, if I can be honest with you, I completely just piggybacked off your idea because what mattered to me was when I was in the hospital, it was about my wife and my kid at the time, Chloe. It was about how can I still be the husband and a father? And I can still remember, I’m not trying to steal your lines from Forrest Gump, but I can remember saying on April 14th on my birthday when I woke up in the hospital, why didn’t I just die? And I was wondering what kind of life am I possibly going to have? How is this better and why would I even want this? And I know it relates a lot to the character Lieutenant Dan. And I was sitting there going, how can I be a husband and a father? And I didn’t want to talk to Kelsey and I didn’t want to talk to my parents.

(10:53):
I didn’t want to deal with the situation that way I was living in, but I had to. I was forced with it. And just like in Fors Gump, Lieutenant Dan, you lived. You don’t just magically close your eyes and say, okay, well it’s time for me just to go now. And I had to find a way to get better. I had to find a way to take care of my family. And then you come in and say, Hey man, we’re going to take care of you and we’re going to help your family and we’re going to be there for you. It’s not just a one time, I mean, honestly, I shy away from calling you on a regular weekly basis like he’s a busy man doing great things. But you came in and you were like, we’re going to take care of you and your family and we have your back, whatever you need.

(11:31):
And then you built me this amazing house and with partners and everybody together, and I do appreciate everyone. And Kelsey and I were showing so much love and support that we thought we should do something. And then I saw the impact of what a house and a home instability could do for people. And then I thought, well, these people all get to go home, but they go to these homes that are in their hometown. So let’s bring some families back together and show them a barrier free place that just like their homes is comfortable relaxing, but also is for the family and indirectly without you probably even realizing you’ve changed thousands of people’s lives at the foundation of the Travis Mills Foundation, because you showed me that you were going to take care of not just me but my family and I wanted to pass that along and show people that I’m going to take the same idea of a barrier-free place, but I’m going to bring people together and let them know life’s not over, don’t live life on the sidelines. And once they’re stable at home, we can keep pushing forward. So I mean the Garris Snee Foundation, but more so Garrison Niece is one of the biggest reasons I feel like I’ve had success in life after injury. I dunno if that’s weird to tell you. I feel like maybe I No,

Gary Sinise (12:37):
Thank you

Travis Mills (12:38):
Bud. I’m not sure if you get that a lot from people, but I have these thoughts a lot. And I think, where was it? What was the turning point for me? And it was, I mean, my daughter, it was Chloe learning how to walk with her. It was learning how to feed myself with a prosthetic hand and walk, but then it was after the hospital, what’s life going to be like? And it’s that stabilization, the ability to take care of my family because of the work that you do. And I remember on my house dedication day, I called you and a real sissy pants. I was actually crying like blubber, you’re on a talk show and you’re like, stop crying you Sally. And I was like, I’m sorry Mr. Gary Sinise, you’re a champion. You get that all the time. I

Gary Sinise (13:14):
Remember that.

Travis Mills (13:15):
Yeah. Do you mind telling people, because you don’t just do the one program, you do so many first responders and in the Goldstar member families, how do you find time in the day to do all this?

Gary Sinise (13:25):
Well, I built an organization that could help me do a lot more, that’s for sure. And the American people donating to the Gary Snee Foundation allow us to spread our outreach far, far and wide. I remember when I started the foundation, Travis, I’m one guy who wanted to do stuff. And one of the ways I did that was by reaching out to a lot of other military and first responders, support nonprofits and trying to help them in their missions. They were doing things. And as a television personality, I can draw attention to things. So I was just volunteering for different things like the USO and all these different organizations that were supporting the troops and trying to raise money for them, raise awareness by showing up at events, doing PSAs, doing this and that. And I felt like I could help a lot more people if I just spread myself out between a lot of different organizations that were doing a lot of things.

(14:28):
And then at a certain point I realized, Hey, I’ve been doing that for several years now with all these other organizations. I think the next step is to put my name on something, go ahead, put my name on something, let the American people know that it’s worthy of their trust because I am going to put my name on it. I’m going to stand behind that and let people know they can trust us with their generosity and we will pass it on to others. And I remember being scared to death after September 11th. I didn’t know what the world was turning into at that point. And I had young kids. My kids were little at that point, and I was fearful. I remember my heart was breaking and I needed to put my energy somewhere to do something, to be a part of the people that were deploying and to back them up.

(15:29):
And so much of that was based on what happened to my Vietnam pals and family members when they came home from war and they did not have the support of a grateful nation behind them when they came home. They had to disappear after their service, pretend they didn’t serve because it was not a good thing to be a Vietnam veteran at that point. And I just didn’t want that to happen to you guys deploying Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted you to know that you were supported and appreciated. And so I started going to the war zones to tell you that, to make sure you knew. And then when you came home, I wanted to be able to do something also. So I supported all these nonprofits, created my own. It’s a full-time started the band part of my life. The band became a great way to get in front of thousands of our service members and their families.

(16:22):
And as much as the music lifts everybody up, it’s also my opportunity. You’ve seen my band many times. It’s also my opportunity to talk to the men and women and family members who are serving our country and to tell ’em personally right in front of ’em, right from the stage, what I feel about ’em and how important they are to us and how they have my support. And I’m trying to just shine a light on them and educate people as to what I see when I go to the war zones or to the hospitals or to visit folks that have been serving. And I want people to know our military a lot more. And unfortunately, unless you have a personal relationship with somebody who’s served, there’s a big disconnect between the American people and our defenders. And I just have seen my role as just one way that I can serve and help my country out in times of need is by backing up the men and women who are defending us. Oh,

Travis Mills (17:22):
Absolutely. And I tell you what, you crush it on the base, but my favorite song is Devin went down to Georgia. I mean, your singers are absolutely fantastic, but the gentleman with the long blond hair that plays the violin or fiddle crushes it, it’s just

Gary Sinise (17:36):
Impressive. Yeah. Dan Meyers, yeah,

Travis Mills (17:38):
His talent and Tim plays in a band and sings and stuff like that here locally, but you’re No Dan Meyers, Tim, I’m

Tim Eisenhart (17:45):
No Dan Meyers. I was watching one of your concerts because you, a bunch of your stuff is online. Are all those guys buddies of yours or are they guys that you just kind of recruited and said, this is what I want to do, you want to help out?

Gary Sinise (17:57):
Well, the band evolved. I mean, there are only a couple people in the band now that were there 20 years ago. My piano player has been there from the beginning and my guitar player, Ben Lewis is my piano player. I started playing with him in the late nineties. Same thing with Ernie Danoff on guitar. Many of the band members go back 15 years or something. So I think the newest band members has been with the band five years. He’s our trombone player and he is a legendary trombone player. This guy, Tom Bones Malone, he’s played with, he was in the Saturday Night Live band. He was in the Letterman band for 25 years. I mean, he’s played with everybody, anybody and anybody. And so has our drummer, Danny Gottlieb. He’s played with so many people over the years and they’re playing with me and they’re playing cover tunes. This is a cover band, but it’s fun. They make a good living at it and it’s about the mission. The mission here is different. It’s not like just going into a club and playing some music. I’m there and the band is there. I bring the band with me because they’re a part of my mission to serve and honor the needs of the men and women who serve our country and to lift them up to make ’em feel special. And that’s what the band’s about

Travis Mills (19:17):
And it’s incredible. It’s an incredible show. But over the years, what have you really learned? What do you think is the most important life lesson that you can tell me that you’ve learned? Because with your experience and the places and things you’ve been able to do, I always love to take in knowledge and I always love to learn what it is that smart, great people have learned. And obviously you’re at the top of that

Gary Sinise (19:39):
List, Travis, having been around folks like you and so many who have served our country and been through tough times and then others that have gone through serious loss. I’ve been around so many inspirational, motivational people who have persevered through really challenging things, losing both your arms and legs and keeping a sense of humor about it is there’s something about that You’ve been an inspiration to so many people and you won’t let your circumstance get you down. You still have still have your heart, you still have your mind, you still have your voice. There’s still so much you can do with the gifts that you have and you’ve done that. And not everybody can get there. They’re challenging circumstance, takes them in the opposite direction sometimes and they can’t, can’t get through it. But I’ve been inspired by so many who have taken that circumstance and turned it around and it’s helped me. I mean, we have our own challenging situations in family like everybody does, but the more you see and meet and engage with people who have really been through some difficult challenges, the more it motivates you to try to take some of that and do the same with it. And I know God throws curve balls to everybody, but if you don’t swing the bat, you’re not going to hit the ball. So I just keep trying to keep swinging.

Travis Mills (21:23):
I know we don’t really talk about a lot of that stuff going on, and you’re right. I mean things happen to everybody and that’s why I try to tell people when I go and I present, I go and I do my keynote speaking and stuff, and I tell ’em, I don’t think my problems outweigh anybody else’s. We don’t collectively know in the room who knows somebody or is going through a cancer or a car accident or a financial struggle. So my story is just one of many, and if people can find strength in my story, I encourage that. I found a way to just keep pushing forward because I was given the opportunity one to live and two to be shown that there’s people out there that care believe in you and they’re willing to help pick you up in your lowest times. And that for me was the nurses that were willing to feed me and to change my clothes and to help me use the restroom.

(22:09):
The doctors that instead of loosening up one tourniquet and let me bleed out, they decided 14 hours was what they wanted to put into my recovery. And that’s impressive to me. I’m sitting there always going like, geez, they could have loosened up one tourniquet and just called it a day like, oh, this guy’s kind of screwed. Let’s just let ’em bleed out. But they thought my life mattered, and since they thought my life mattered, I figure I might as well make sure that people understand that their life and what they’re going through is valid for one, but also that there’s ways to get past it and there’s people out there that are willing to help them just like you help me. I try to help people because I want to pass it forward.

Gary Sinise (22:44):
And you know that you have learned that service. Say this, it’s a great healer.

Travis Mills (22:53):
Oh, definitely. It’s how I self-soothe.

Gary Sinise (22:55):
You’ve turned your circumstance, your challenges, your difficulties, and you’ve turned that on its head by saying, I’m going to make the most of this and I’m going to use this to help other people. I’m going to show them that they can make it through difficult times like this. And so you’re serving well,

Travis Mills (23:15):
I appreciate that.

Gary Sinise (23:16):
By doing that, it heals yourself. You’re healing yourself by doing

Travis Mills (23:20):
That. I tell people I was the worst person to talk to about mental health because I didn’t do it the first time lady came in, I was sleeping the second time I pretend like I was sleeping, and the third time I was eating bowl cereal and saw her and threw myself back in two bed like I was sleeping again. And then I gave her my name, rank and social security number when she came up and talked to me because saw, I made eye contact with her and I fell back into my bed and I gave her my name, rank and social security number. And then she’s like, what? And I gave it to her again and I was like, that’s where you tell the enemy if they get captured, so take it and leave or just leave. So I did not do mental health the right way.

(23:51):
I will be the first to admit that. And that’s why the Travis Mills Foundation has a great partnership with the Warrior Path Program out of Boulder Crest, which is now the Avalon, which is part of you. You set up again, you champion of a man just helping people with post-traumatic stress. But for me, going around speaking and talking has definitely been helpful. And you’re right, serving people is where I am able to still do things. I don’t know if in your career as a movie star and television star, you sit and look at there and say, well, now what? I’ve accomplished all these feats and I’ve done all these cool things like now what is my mission? Because I think you found it with the foundation, but for me, I sat there in my in-law’s bedroom staring at an old picture of me after I retired from the military. It’s all I ever wanted. I retired from Walter Reed and I broke down. I cried and I said, now what? I’m not Staff Sergeant Travis Mills or combat soldiers. I’m not Travis at the hospital helping people get better. And I had to refine my mission with the foundation and with speaking to help giving back because it helped heal me.

Voice over (male) (24:48):
The conversation continues in moments. Do you know someone who’s motivated, helped, or inspired you over the years? Nominate a hero to be featured on a future [email protected]. While there, learn more about the American Hero Show, brought to you by foundation’s investment advisors in benefit of the Travis Mills Foundation.

Voice over (female) (25:09):
The American Hero Show is brought to you by foundation’s, investment advisors, foundations helps pre-retirees and retirees manage risks in the new normal economy. As a fiduciary, foundations does not charge commissions and works with independent advisors nationwide. To request your complimentary customized financial plan, go to american hero show.com.

Voice over (male) (25:32):
Now back to the American Hero Show with Travis Mills and Gary Sise.

Tim Eisenhart (25:37):
With Gary leaning into the difficult task of helping. And that’s not an easy thing to undertake, especially when you put your own name on it. It created something, maybe something in you that made you lean into what’s difficult, which is going out and visiting folks and talking in front of folks, and now you’ve got this whole foundation leaning into the difficult is contagious and healing to everybody. I think people jump on board because it is healing. Gary, you hit it right on the head, and I think that snowballs when you get involved with something like the Gary Sins Foundation or the Travis Mills Foundation, do you want to go do more? Is that fair?

Gary Sinise (26:12):
That’s why we gave Travis the doing more award at the Gary Snee

Travis Mills (26:16):
Foundation. And I also got to make fun of Dana Carvey.

Tim Eisenhart (26:20):
Dana

Travis Mills (26:20):
Carvey. Dana Carvey told a joke. He didn’t realize what room he was in. He told the wrong sided joke, and I went up after him and I told joke, no one laughed because they were uncomfortable. I have arms and legs. I made a joke about myself and I said, guys, I’m actually funny. I’m not Dana Carvey Jesus. And he gave me a standing ovation. But I tell you what, Gary, I appreciate your time. I know you’re a very busy man. I tell you last question then, but what would be the biggest piece of advice you can give? Is somebody out there listening that is just tuning in because they were like, I wonder what Gary Snee has to say, life advice. What’s the best life advice you can give anybody that you tell Bobby George?

Gary Sinise (26:52):
Well, I remember when I was younger and starting my theater company and everything was new that we were doing. We hadn’t done these things before, so everything was new and we made some good choices and we made some bad choices and bad choices when we were younger would just really frustrate us and it would be difficult, and there’d be tension, and it’s like the whole world is going to come crashing down because this one little thing didn’t work or something like that. As time goes on though, you go through those scenarios over and over and over and you realize, Hey, I’ve been through this before. We can get through it again. It’s going to be fine. We might have some bumps here, but we’re going to smooth out and it’s going to be fine. I’ve just been through it before. So to anybody out there, I mean you’re trying something.

(27:50):
If you don’t take risks and you don’t make attempts and you don’t get off your butt and do something, you’ll never know. You’ll never know. And the more you sit idle in hopes that somebody is going to do that for you or motivate you to do something that comes from somebody else, the less fulfillment you have in your own self and your own abilities, the less confidence you have. And you want to have that. Now, I know you’re 10 years after your service and your injury and you went through this bump and that bump and this bump and that, but look what you’ve accomplished. And it’s sort of every time you go over the next hill and you make it, you realize, hey, really the sky’s the limit, especially in America. If you can dream something up, you can achieve it as long as you persist and as long as you stay with it.

(28:50):
And as long as you don’t let the difficult challenges along the way slow you down or turn you away and send you back, you just keep pushing ahead. And that’s kind of where I am in life right now. We have some serious challenges and we’ve been through some many bumps, and I write about those in my book, grateful Americans, some really dark, dark times where I didn’t know where we were going to come out and how we were going to make it through, but we did that. God sometimes just makes things challenging so that you can learn and that you can feel more confident down the road that you can get through those things. And I know that some of that now with the challenges that we have in our family and the challenges that other people face, that we at the Gary Sinise Foundation, I know that if we persist, we can find a way through.

(29:48):
And I think you just have to be determined and you have to, one thing I worry about too is I think people just have to be self motivators and sometimes people, I mean, in order to really achieve, somehow I was a self motivator. I didn’t go to college. I struggled in school all the way through school, but maybe the fact that I had this feeling that I was inadequate and academically or something like that made me motivate more, take up the charge more, take action more, be kind of an action guy rather than sitting around talking about it. I always believe in that. And I think the more I did that, the more I learned that I could do that and the more confident I became that anything you can dream up in America, you can achieve if you just work really, really hard at it and you are fortunate enough to meet the right people along the way and that you cannot never take for granted.

(30:55):
And the right people could be somebody like you, Travis, who goes through something bad and turns it around and shows us that you can power through this and make a difference. Or it might be somebody who really is a mentor to you, somebody who really takes you under your wing and guides you. And I had people like that along the way, so I’m grateful to all of them. I’m a grateful American for you buddy and your fellow service members. And I’m grateful that I have a beautiful family and I just keep gratitude at the forefront all the time and try to do my best the next day.

Travis Mills (31:34):
I mean, you’ve learned so much. Tim Rover here wrote, he’s not just an American hero. He is a humble American hero. And you are. You are, sir. And gosh, I appreciate the time, Mr. Snee. You’re a champion. I can’t wait to catch up with you in person again. I think we have a trip coming up.

Gary Sinise (31:47):
You call me Gary Bud.

Travis Mills (31:49):
Okay, Gary. Sorry. Sorry. That’s right. That’s right. Gary,

Gary Sinise (31:52):
You’re my pal little man.

Travis Mills (31:54):
Well only want to take my legs off. I’m little, but I’m getting there.

Gary Sinise (31:57):
How’s the house doing and everything? How’s the family? Oh, doing great. I just want to know before I let you go. Yeah,

Travis Mills (32:02):
Absolutely. No, the house is great. My wife is still putting up with me, which is great. The best part is shocking. Really. She can pull the elevator upstairs and leave me downstairs when I get in trouble. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And then the kids are wonderful. Chloe’s doing gymnastics and basketball right now. She did soccer. Dax is four. I picked him up from school the other day, and I’ll tell you what, Gary, I picked him up and he came up and he ran up to me. He goes, you’re not mom. I’m like, yeah, I know. He goes, I want a mom. I’m like, just give me a hug in front all these people and stop being a little turd. So I made him hug me and all the other parents were like, they heard what he said. And I was like, whatever. Cut in the truck. But no, they’re doing well. They’re doing really well, sir. Thank you for asking.

Gary Sinise (32:42):
Please give them all my best. Okay. I haven’t met the little man yet.

Travis Mills (32:45):
Oh yeah, he’s something else. He will show you how high he can jump and how fast he can run, and then you’ll just love him. So thanks for your time and hope you enjoyed this time with Tim and I. I know Tim’s going to, he’s probably not going to sleep night, so fired up. He wet his pants.

Gary Sinise (33:00):
Tim, you better go change.

Tim Eisenhart (33:03):
It’s unfortunate that I have to deal with this every single time we do this. Gary was really nice listening to you and cannot wait to, I downloaded your book to my app and I can’t wait to listen to it.

Gary Sinise (33:14):
Oh, that’s, that’s me actually doing the reading. Oh,

Tim Eisenhart (33:17):
It is. It

Travis Mills (33:17):
Is.

Tim Eisenhart (33:18):
No, it is. I did know that you did the narration. Yeah.

Gary Sinise (33:21):
Put it in your car, Travis. You’ll listen to me all the way to

Travis Mills (33:24):
School. Oh, absolutely. And he’ll put you to sleep. He’s going to read you bedtime story. Oh

Tim Eisenhart (33:28):
My God. The best story.

Travis Mills (33:30):
Thanks Gary. You have a great day, sir. All the best to the family. Tell Mos said hi, please. You

Gary Sinise (33:34):
Bet, bud. God bless you. Thank you.

Travis Mills (33:36):
Oh, Tim, I tell you what, you even pled your pants. Were so excited.

Tim Eisenhart (33:39):
I did a little bit. I did a little bit.

Travis Mills (33:42):
I’m just kidding. He didn’t peddle his pants, ladies and gentlemen. But no, great guy. Wonderful inspiration and role model to everybody, not just me and another American hero. Just American hero. And that’s why his book Grateful American, he truly is just a grateful American and he wants to pass along the good vibes, if you

Tim Eisenhart (34:01):
Will, the younger

Travis Mills (34:02):
Generation.

Tim Eisenhart (34:03):
His efforts and the way he goes about them are contagious. It makes me want to take more action. And previous podcast that we had, I know Pam had referenced Gary Sene, and then you referenced it during this interview was what everybody can do a little bit more. Yeah. Right. Yeah. That’s what a great message a little bit more is not asking for the world. It’s not asking you to start a Gary Sene Foundation. It’s just a little bit more.

Travis Mills (34:29):
Yeah, absolutely. And tremendous guy, wonderful family man. Does anything and everything for his kids. I kept referencing Bobby George, hilarious son-in-law of his hilarious, but just wonderful people. So I hope you guys enjoyed this edition of the American Hero Show hosted by Mr. Tim Eisenhardt and yours truly. But it’s really my name of Travis Mills to all of our people of listening.

Tim Eisenhart (34:54):
Here we go

Travis Mills (34:54):
Again. I’m just so what

Tim Eisenhart (34:56):
People of listening, that’s going to become a thing now. Yeah, they listen, it’s going to become a thing. People of listening,

Travis Mills (35:01):
Like, share, follow. If you don’t like it, my mom, Sherry Mills, she going to call you. You’re going to get it earful. And don’t tell your mom to call my mom, because that won’t go good for nobodies. So anyways, all right, Tim, I appreciate you making time today to hang out with me and Mr. Garris, Denise, and hope you guys enjoyed you. Guys. Have a great day. Thanks so much for tuning in, Tim. Great job. For

Voice over (male) (35:20):
More on Travis and Tim, the heroes who join them on the show, and to nominate a hero of your own or donate to the Travis Mills Foundation, visit American hero show.com.