Hardwood Floors February/March 2017

PICTURED Left to right: Tommy Maxwell, Chris Zizza, Rick Holden, CPT Luis Avila, Claudia Avila, Gary Sinise, Barbara Titus, Michael Martin, Anita Howard, Jeff Fairbanks. Photo courtesy of Gary Sinise Foundation.

All of the veterans served by the R.I.S.E. program have experienced catastrophic injuries. Most have suffered the loss of multiple limbs, which makes

“All of us at the Gary Sinise Foundation are very grateful for this wonderful alliance, and for your taking this journey with us to make a difference in the lives of our veterans. Through your support, we are changing lives and restoring independence to our wounded heroes and their families.” – Gary Sinise

In the film, Sinise’s character loses his legs during combat, as well as his will to live, struggling with Post Traumatic Stress. After playing LT Dan, Sinise became aware of the challenges faced by our wounded and began supporting disabled veterans through the Disabled American Veterans

simple tasks very difficult. Sinise learned this for himself when he took on the role of U.S. Army Lieutenant Dan Taylor for the 1994 film, Forrest Gump, which received the Academy Award for Best Picture that year. Sinise himself received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

the magazine of the nat ional wood f loor ing associat ion

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