People know Gary Sinise for being a champion of veteran’s causes. He has known how to price in on his fame to do this. One of his most memorable roles is Lieutenant Dan on Forest Gump. There are many ways that Sinise shows his appreciation for veterans.
The primary way is through his Gary Sinise Foundation. He has become well known for finding people who have become amputees like Lt. Dan. The foundation builds many houses. Sinise is there as often as he can. One of the recent amputee veterans is Jonathan Blank. He got his injury in Afghanistan.
The Marine Corps Staff Sergeant was not having his medical bills taken care of. This was showing the dream of Abraham Lincoln was not happening. The Veteran’s Administration is in charge of handling such a situation. They were not. That is when the Gary Sinise Foundation made the decision to help.
This decision was to give the Marine his dignity back. The veteran was in need of a house to handle his amputations. This is one of the over 60 homes that Sinise has given to worthy veterans. They make sure the homes have necessary ramps and other accommodations.
Blank is a 32 year old combat veteran. He is in the same shape as Lt. Dan. His injuries were the cause of him losing both legs. He went through an explosion in Afghanistan. He was suffering from shrapnel injuries to the head and arms as well. The injuries were in 2010. The Marine had gone in right out of high school. He was dealing with the headaches and housing issues while the VA was doing nothing. Now he has medical issues from the injuries and sleep issues. Word went out to the Gary Sinise Foundation and they rose to the occasion.
Senior project manager for the foundation Pete Franzen was the first to arrive. He got the ball rolling for the custom smart house. Jorgenson Builders does the work for the foundation. They put in a year schedule to get the home done. The first consideration was a better way to traverse stairs. The home that Blank was living in has three levels. A person in a wheelchair is unable to make any stairs without help. There is voice activation for several new features. His home is near the mountain views that help him be happy. The home is what the Marine was needing.
If people are wanting to help combat veterans with injuries, the Gary Sinise Foundation takes donations. They provide veterans with a way to go through their homes without problems. That is the first thing that disabilities causes problems with. Others can step up just like the actor does.
