Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to Perform Free Show for Troops in California Jan. 29

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to Perform Free Show for Troops in California Jan. 29

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Actor, director and producer Gary Sinise is embarking on his ninth USO tour to provide a morale boost to troops stationed at the Naval Base Ventura County, Calif. Sinise, together with the Lt. Dan Band, will perform a free show for troops and their families Jan. 29. Best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump," Sinise is a strong advocate for the military and has appeared at numerous events around the globe supporting service men and women. Sinise currently is starring in the new hit series "CSI: New York" on CBS.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO )

Last year, Sinise visited troops in Diego Garcia, Singapore, Korea, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Germany, Italy and Fort Stewart, Ga. He also has visited troops wounded in Operation Iraqi Freedom who are recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. Since June, Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band have entertained military personnel stationed at Fort Polk, La.; Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Camp Shelby, Miss.; Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.; and Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Following a USO tour to Iraq, during which he visited with Iraqi school children, Sinise co-founded Operation Iraqi Children, which provides educational materials to students in Iraq through the generosity of the American people. For more information, visit http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/.

Sinise first journeyed into acting while still a high school student. Soon after graduation, he founded Chicago's influential Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Later, starring on Broadway in "The Grapes of Wrath," the talented actor earned a Tony nomination. His big screen debut came in 1992's "A Midnight Clear." Performances as title characters in the biopics "Truman" (for which he won a Cable Ace Award and a Golden Globe) and "George Wallace" (for which he won an Emmy) earned him the reputation of one of America's most versatile actors. Other film credits include "Apollo 13," "The Green Mile" and, most recently, "The Forgotten."

For 63 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has brought a touch of home to America's military personnel. The USO is a congressionally chartered, nonprofit organization and is not a government agency. The USO is supported by World Partners Amazon.com, AAHOA, AT&T, Avon Products, Inc., BAE SYSTEMS, Bass Pro Shops, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Clear Channel Worldwide, Coca- Cola, Computer Systems Center, Inc., ESPN, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Lockheed Martin, Morgan Stanley, Ray-Ban, Reader's Digest, Sara Lee, S & K Sales Company, True.com, Ty Inc., USAA Foundation and The Walt Disney Company. Other corporate donors, including Walgreens and the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-0600), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031119/USO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: USO; U.S. Navy

CONTACT: Donna St. John of the USO, +1-703-908-6458, dstjohn@uso.org; or
Teri Reid of the U.S. Navy, +1-805-989-9234, teri.reid@navy.mil

Web site: http://www.uso.org/
http://www.operationiraqichildren.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media interested in covering the event must contact Naval Base Ventura County's Media Relations Office at +1-805-989-9234.

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