Gary Sinise honored with award from Congressional Medal of Honor Society for helping veterans

Posted: Feb 8, 2020 / 08:40 PM EST / Updated: Feb 8, 2020 / 08:40 PM EST

Actor and veterans advocate Gary Sinise becomes emotional reading a placard describing his brother-in-law in the Remembrance Garden at the 2019 Snowball Express gathering at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. Snowball Express is a project of the Gary Sinise Foundation and hosts 1,700 families, survivors of fallen military veterans, for a five-day retreat at Walt Disney World. Sinise’ brother-in-law, Boyd McCanna “Mac” Harris, served two tours of duty in Vietnam and passed away in 1983. Snowball Express 2019 concludes Wednesday. Sinise is best known for his role as Lt. Dan in the movie ‘Forrest Gump.’ (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (WGHP)— Gary Sinise received a special honor for all of the support he has given to veterans.

Sinise is known to many for his beloved role as Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump,” which won the Best Picture Oscar.

He was given the Patriot Award at the Reagan Library in California.

The Patriot Award is the highest honor given by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Ever since Sinise got the role of Lieutenant Dan, he has been volunteering to help veterans.

He established the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2010 with the goal of making the lives of veterans easier.

“Even though he’s a Vietnam veteran, I have just met hundreds, if not thousands, of wounded who have some affinity with what Lieutenant Dan has gone through, because they’re going through the same thing themselves,” Sinise said.