The Lt. Dan Band is an American

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...

originally formed in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 2003 by

Gary Sinise Gary Alan Sinise (; born March 17, 1955) is an American actor, director, producer, musician and humanitarian. Among other awards, he has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has ...

and Kimo Williams to perform at USO shows, entertain troops, and raise money for disabled veterans. The band is named after the character Lieutenant Dan Taylor, whom Sinise portrayed in the film ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...

''. Sinise has said in interviews that many people know him by sight as "Lieutenant Dan" rather than by his real name, hence the band's name. The concept came about when Sinise asked for permission to bring musicians on his

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

tours. The group was initially known as "Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band". The Lt. Dan Band has grown from the occasional jam session and Chicago-area gigs to performing for charities and non-profit organizations including the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

(USO) and Operation Iraqi Children, the latter of which was co-founded by Sinise in March 2004. In 2011, a documentary was released regarding the band and Sinise's work to benefit veterans. They frequently visit military bases in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and abroad, they have played over 400 concerts. Sinise was involved in building a memorial to America's three million, living, disabled veterans. Completed in 2014, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial was built due to the efforts of Sinise and the band championing the cause of the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

Awards

For his humanitarian work, Sinise has received the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment, the Spirit of the USO Award,

Sylvanus Thayer Award The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an honor given annually by the United States Military Academy at West Point to an individual whose character and accomplishments exemplifies the motto of West Point. The award is named after the "Father of the Military ...

, Doughboy Award, Dwight D. Eisenhower Award, and the

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

. He was given the

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

in 2008.

Gallery

File:Kimo Williams.jpg, Kimo Williams playing lead guitar on June 26, 2009 () File:Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Band.jpg, Performance in the courtyard of the Pentagon in support of the America Supports You program () File:LtDanBand USO.jpg, Gina Gonzalez, Gary Sinise, and Jeff Vezain ()

References

External links

Lt. Dan Band Official Site
Cover bands American veterans activists {{US-band-stub