NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The star of a beloved film has made middle Tennessee home and is continuing the good work he's known for. This month brought about a big anniversary worth celebrating.
There's this one particular movie people are often so excited to talk about.
"Mama said life is like a box of chocolates!" smiled Li Weaver. "You never know what you're gonna get."
I spoke to various people sitting on benches in downtown Franklin about the film, Forrest Gump.
"I have seen Forrest Gump many times," added Rory Rowan.
"My favorite scene is where Bubba's listing all the types of shrimp," said Nate Pazzocchi.
"My favorite scene is where Forrest Gump plays ping pong!" Weaver continued.
"Mama says you can tell a lot about a person from the type of shoes they're wearing," Pazzocchi said, adding another quote.
"Run Forrest Run!" said Ashley Hovey.
In the Franklin office of actor Gary Sinise, you'll find a bench, a box of chocolates, and so many grand items linked to his role in Forrest Gump as Lt. Dan Taylor.
"We've enshrined the hair that I wore in the movie," Sinise laughed, giving a tour of the room. "We kept it, so we put it in here. These are the original dog tags they gave me to wear in the movie which I didn't end up wearing, because I wore my brother-in-law's dog tags from Vietnam."
"When we were making the movie, all I knew was it a good script," he continued. "I had a great director, Bob Zemeckis. "Working with Tom, he was a big movie star. We had the right ingredients. When I first saw it, I remember seeing it with the cast, everyone looked at each other at the end of the movie. We all had smiles on our faces cause we knew it was good."
That audiences embraced the film was great. Four weeks after Forrest Gump opened something unexpected happened.
"I was just choked up at this moment," Sinise said, showing a picture on his wall. "I was invited to go to the Disabled American Veterans convention, and they presented me with an award."
The role of Lt. Dan was resonating in military communities and with wounded veterans. That led to Sinise beginning the Gary Sinise Foundation, a charity that offers services and events for wounded veterans.
"We build many, many specialty adapted homes for our wounded," he said. "A lot of good things came from getting involved with the DAV, and I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't played Lt. Dan."
Sinise figured there needed to be a celebration of 30 years since the release of Forrest Gump. He knew just the place that needed to happen; the Grand Ole Opry stage.
"It's hard to believe it's 30 years," he said. "The movie has been on television for 30 years. New generations of kids have been seeing it. The movie seems to have been in the American public for so long."
Included in the Opry crowd were wounded veterans who have received adapted homes from the foundation like Bryan Anderson.
"My second year in Iraq, I got hit with an IED, and I became a triple amputee," said Anderson. "I met Gary Sinise at Walter Reed in 2006. I'm out here at the Grand Ole Opry to witness the debut of the Lt. Dan Band on the Grand Ole Opry stage!"
Some familiar faces were there on stage including Young Forrest actor Michael Conner Humphreys and Mykelti Williamson who played Bubba.
Who would get to introduce Sinise to the stage?
"The one and the only Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band!" Tom Hanks announced to the crowd from a recorded message.
Back at his office, I asked Sinise a question. Why do you believe Lt. Dan speaks so deeply to veterans?
"Even though he gets badly, badly wounded, he loses both of his legs, it's a positive story in the end," Sinise answered. "He successful in the end. He's standing up again. He's moving on with his life."
"It was one of the first times they ever showed the character overcoming it and living a life they wanted to live," added Anderson.
"They responded cause a wounded veteran was being portrayed in such a way that we hadn't seen," Sinise continued.
Sinise couldn't have known one film role could change the course of his life so much. But then, life is like a box of...well, you know the line.
Do you have a good news story to share? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
I am so inspired by Sheila Gann's love for her husband and her resilience. Anyone who has lost a loved one to Alzheimer's knows how cruel this disease is - not only for the patient but also for those who love and care for them. Mike and Sheila clearly had a remarkable love story, and she is now honoring that in the most beautiful way. Thanks to Forrest Sanders for sharing their story.
-Carrie Sharp
