We all love an all-around good guy. And hey, if you really loved the work that someone close to you was doing in the world, wouldn’t you also want to make a tribute to them in a nice way?

That’s what happened for Gary Sinise, who is an activist in addition to being an accomplished actor.

You probably remember him from movies such as Forest Gump, and The Green Mile, where he played “Lieutenant Dan” and “Burt Hammersmith”, respectively.

But in 2011, he also started his own nonprofit, the Gary Sinise Foundation. The organization works to improve the lives of veterans and active-duty military members, by building them smart homes and putting on concerts for personnel both in the United States and overseas.

The actor himself had this to say about his foundation:

“If every person in every neighborhood around the country took a little bit of responsibility for patting these folks on the back, all the problems that we hear about with regards to veterans not getting services or falling through the cracks would disappear,” he said. “If citizens would look at their freedom providers in a little bit different way.”

He was impacted by the Vietnam War, which lasted for 10 years of his adolescence.

Gary Sinise was 10 years old when the Vietnam War began, and 20 years old when it ended. According to him, this timeline and experience had a direct impact on him wanting to start this foundation:

“All during the Vietnam War, I was just a high school kid playing in bands and getting in trouble. I felt guilty that, when they were off at war, I was oblivious to what they were going through. I’ve just tried to give them something back.”

After giving so much back to others, some people decided to give back to Gary.

Like, some pretty famous people. In addition to military personnel who have been uplifted and impacted by Gary, a bunch of celebrities also joined in a video tribute. They wanted to thank him and help him feel appreciated for all the work he does to help the troops.

Here is what some very big celebs had to say about Gary’s work.

Comedian Jay Leno highlighted Gary’s real life dedication:

“Every time I go to do a USO show, I always get ‘Hey Jay Leno, how you doing? You know who else is here?’ ‘Who?’ ‘Gary Sinise’ ‘oh’ ‘in fact, he’s been here 3 times.’”

Even Forest Gump himself (Tom Hanks) thanked Gary in a very apt way:

“Thanks Lieutenant Dan!”

And all the kind words impacted Gary very much.

As you can see from the video below, Gary deeply appreciated hearing how much his work has helped people. It’s important to note when someone has done good work and to let people know that their actions are appreciated. When Mr. Sinise receives this treatment, he begins to tear up with happiness.

People deserve to know when their actions have had a positive impact.

And that shouldn’t just be the case for celebrities either! If there is someone in your life who is known for doing awesome work in your community, make sure you let them know you appreciate it! This affirmation can help people continue the good work they do.

To watch Gary’s amazing reaction, watch the video below.

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Source: Apost, IMDB – Gary Sinise, GarySinise Foundation, PEOPLE