Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band – ‘rock’ the audience at Freedom Tower

Photo illustration | U.S. Air Force photos by SrA Lauren Main and Staff Sgt. Mike Meares

Jazzmin Williams

Contributing Writer

Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band strolled on stage for their fifth USO tour stop in Hawaii and rocked the audience at Freedom Tower at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Feb. 10.

As the sunset faded into the ocean, scores of families arranged themselves on the grassy field in the shadow of the tower. Food was for sale in carnivalstyle tents. Lawn chairs, towels and homemade picnics dotted the field, while the bleachers on each side of the stage were full.

Lt. Dan and his band even included the audience in their show. During their cover of “Life is a Highway,” children were brought up on stage to sing and dance. Other songs performed included “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” as well as renditions of music by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and even contemporary artists such as Kelly Clarkson and the Zac Brown Band. “I really enjoyed that Gary thought enough of us to come here and give the military a free concert,” said reservist Master Sgt. Tamara Boettner. “I thought it was great that they brought the kids on stage and that it was a family friendly concert. It was a huge morale boost.”

Staff Sgt. DJ Dutton of the 647th Civil Engineer squadron, a Purple Heart recipient, offered the opening remarks as his young daughter stood beside him.

In 2011, the 12-member Lt. Dan Band visited and entertained more than 3,900 military families in Hawaii alone.

“It’s fantastic,” said Sinise, one of the founding members of the band and of “Forrest Gump” fame. “Every time I do it it’s fun and rewarding to see all those smiling faces.”

Sinise, who plays electric bass guitar, founded the band with electric guitarist and vocalist Kimo Williams. After partnering with the USO, they held their first performance for troops overseas in 2004.

Since that first tour, the Lt. Dan Bandaver-ages 30-40 shows a year, with approximately 75 percent of those being for the USO, charities or benefits, according to the band’s website.

With his father spending time in the Navy, two uncles who served in World War II, and a grandfather who drove an ambulance in France for World War I, the military has a very personal connection with Sinise. After starring in “Forrest Gump” as paraplegic Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan, Sinise devoted himself wholeheartedly to disabled American veteran organizations, even performing shows at the Brooke Army Medical Center and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

“I have a lot of compassion for what happened to our Vietnam veterans when they came back home. The nation was divided and turned our backs on our veterans,” Sinise said. “I didn’t want that to happen again after Sept. 11 when we started deploying out there, so I got very active with doing what I could to help keep people entertained and feeling good and strong.”

During the show, the Lt.

Dan Band kept the crowd entertained. Vocalist Julie Dutchak brought Staff Sgt. Jonathan Bielke, military working dog handler, 647th Security Forces Squadron, on stage at one point to serenade him with Aretha Franklin’s classic “Natural Woman.”

The closing piece performed was “Proud To Be An American,” with everyone in attendance singing along.

“I know where our freedom comes from, and I don’t take it for granted,” Sinise said. “I know how precious it is and how fragile it is.”