Washington Free Beacon 2013 Man of the Year Gary Sinise treated 50 wounded warriors to Disney World earlier this month, the Orange County Register reports.
Honoring the military members was the idea of the Gary Sinise Foundation, which assists military families and first-responders. The actor co-starred in "Forrest Gump," playing Lt. Dan, who lost his legs in Vietnam. The foundation teamed up with American Airlines, Disney and others to help with arrangements for the four-day trip.
The service members – each could bring a guest – had surprises along the way – including a trip to Paramount Studios and a red-carpet welcome at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Anaheim. Celebrities, including Tim Allen, greeted them in Hollywood. Tom Hanks, who played Forrest Gump, introduced a showing of the 1994 movie.
Sinise accompanied the guests in Anaheim.
A highlight was the evening flag retreat in Disneyland’s Town Square, when the American flag is lowered. With the service members there, and signs about saying this was a special military tribute, a bigger crowd than usual showed up. Some women dabbed eyes as patriotic songs played.
The trip was filmed for ABC-TV’s "Countdown to the Oscars" program, which will air at 8 p.m. on Thursday.