Gary Sinise thanked Pearl Harbor survivor in a wheelchair for his service — but was not prepared for the vet's 7-word response
The Pearl Harbor attack on the American Naval base on December 7, 1941, was a huge turning point for the US during World War II. It also had a big impact on the country, as over 2400 people were killed during the attacks, per Pearl Harbor Tours. So the country commemorates the day each year to remember those who fought and lost their lives. Actor Gary Sinise played the role of a disabled Vietnam veteran in the iconic movie "Forest Gump" and became a veteran's advocate after that. During the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a veteran's response to his thanks left him stunned, per Newsmax.
The actor met the wheelchair-bound veteran back in 2016 and could never forget what the old man said to him. The year marked the 75th anniversary of the attack orchestrated by Japan on an American Navy base. Sinise, who became a prominent advocate for veterans after his role as Lt. Dan Taylor in Forest Gump in 1994, was present at the event. He thanked the disabled veteran for all that the old man had done for the country. But Sinise was shocked by what the veteran had to say in response. "I reached down to him and I grabbed his hand and I said, 'Thank you, sir, for all you have done for our country,'" Sinise recounted.
The veteran was in tears when the actor thanked him and said something unexpected. "And he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and he just goes, 'I wish I could have done more.'" The old man was there on the day of the attack and was one of the survivors of the unprecedented and harrowing incident. Sinise also started the Gary Sinise Foundation to help military veterans after portraying one on screen. "It's just been a great, tremendous, tremendous privilege to get to know so many of them," Sinise remarked back in 2022, during the 81st anniversary of the attack.
"I understand that at this particular anniversary, the 81st, we had a 102-year-old World War II veteran travel to Pearl Harbor. You know, we're losing them rapidly as they age," the actor pointed out. "At the Gary Sinise Foundation, we're doing everything we can to record their stories as much as possible at the national World War II Museum and to allow as many of them as possible to get down there to see the museum for themselves. These are great heroes. It's been just an honor to be able to get to know so many of them. They are heroes and it's so important to honor them and to remember."
The Pearl Harbor attack on the naval base was a surprise attack by the Japanese Military, according to the Pearl Harbor Tours. The US was neutral in World War II before the attack. It lasted only for one hour and fifteen minutes, but it changed the course of the war for America, as the country saw no other option but to become an active participant in the conflict. The next day of the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared war on Japan with approval from Congress, per the source.