Gary Sinise Pays Tribute To Veterans, First Responders During Intimate Capitol File Luncheon

WEST END -- Television and film star Gary Sinise's character in 1994's Academy Award-winning 'Forrest Gump' might have been fictional, but the actor-turned-activist's commitment to the service members that he portrayed is very much a reality.

Nowhere was this more apparent than at the Park Hyatt Washington on Wednesday afternoon, as Capitol File Magazine hosted an intimate luncheon for Sinise's eponymous nonprofit.

For more than a decade, the Gary Sinise Foundation has been honoring the nation's defenders, veterans, first responders, and their families through a unique series of programs 'designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen, and build communities.'

Such inspiration has raised millions over the years and taken the actor and his 'Lt. Dan Band' around the world, as a means of boosting morale through an energetic series of live concerts. And given his enthusiastic support of the U.S. armed services, it's no surprise that Sinise finds himself traveling to Washington a great deal, where his longstanding ties to the area were quickly evident by Wednesday's guest list.

Among the invitees, which naturally included Capitol File Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Thorp and Publisher Heather Zahn, was a good swathe of the city's movers-and-shakers, such as Jack Quinn, Hunter Biden, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Tucker Carlson, and Ambassador Stuart Holliday.

The intended beneficiaries of the foundation's efforts were also well represented, with Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, Corporal Christian Brown, Sergeant First Class John Masson, and Retired Captain Leslie Nicole Smith all in attendance.

Sinise kept his remarks brief and was quick to deflect attention away from his celebrity in order to refocus the conversation on the issues and individuals for which he was advocating. Comforting words to be sure given that war, as in life, is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get.