Gary Sinise Goes All Out, Helps Provide Disabled Vet with Smart Home
It’s hard — no, impossible — not to love Gary Sinise. The television and movie star famous for his roles in “Forrest Gump” and “CSI: NY” could easily be yet another arrogant celebrity, but instead he’s dedicated much of his life to a worthy cause: helping America’s veterans.
Sinise has made headlines for his work with groups such as the USO and the “Lt. Dan Band,” a musical group which goes on tour to entertain deployed troops. But just when you thought Lieutenant Dan himself couldn’t get any cooler, he one-ups himself.
Not long ago, the Gary Sinise Foundation went above and beyond the call of duty to assist a former U.S. Army Special Forces veteran who needed a few helping hands — or feet.
“Sergeant 1st Class Caleb Brewer joined the Green Berets in 2012, but was seriously injured whilst on deployment in 2015,” reported Newsner. “[He] lost both his legs, and thereafter suffered from blood clots, infections, and a traumatic brain injury.”
The blast could have easily killed him, but Brewer fought for life. He survived and now lives in Arizona, yet as you can imagine, returning to normal life after not only combat but also losing both legs is a serious challenge.
But now that difficult road is just a bit easier, thanks to Sinise.
“The Forrest Gump star made sure that suitable housing wouldn’t be something Caleb would have to worry about,” Newsner continued.
“Through the Gary Sinise Foundation, he reached out a helping hand, encouraging Caleb to apply to the RISE (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, which aims to build specially-adapted smart homes and adapted vehicles for wounded vets,” the outlet explained.
With the assistance of Sinise’s group, Sgt. Brewer and his family moved into a specially-designed house earlier this year. Many aspects of the home are designed to make life more manageable for the man who gave two legs for his country.
“The house includes smartphone-controlled functions such as checking who’s at the door, adjusting the volume of the stereo and opening and shutting the blinds, as well as tilted mirrors, pocket doors, and a host of other features,” Newsner said.
While nothing can replace what Sgt. Brewer lost in Afghanistan, he said he never imagined the level of support he received upon coming home.
“It’s incredibly overwhelming in a good way. It doesn’t feel real. I never would’ve expected it in a million years,” Brewer said.
Sinise’s famous character in “Forrest Gump,” of course, lost both legs on screen and struggled to cope with life after war. Although the actor is not a veteran himself, he comes from a family of military personnel and has realized that the role of Lt. Dan has inspired many real-life soldiers.
“I found out that when I started visiting our wounded in the hospitals and walking into those hospitals, they would look at me and they would recognize me as Lt. Dan,” Sinise told Fox News in a January interview. “They (wanted) to talk about the story of Lt. Dan and how positive it was at the end for him.”
Now Sinise is making sure that real veterans find the same positives — and for that, we salute him.
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