Today marks the 29th anniversary of the Oscar-winning movie Forrest Gump, which hit theaters nationwide on July 6th, 1994. The character of Lt. Dan has long since become one of the most iconic roles in movie history, earning Gary an Oscar nomination, and it began his journey from self to service from the role of a lifetime to launching the Gary Sinise Foundation back in 2011.

With over 40 years of supporting the US Armed Forces behind him, Gary has been awarded the Bob Hope Award for Excellence in Entertainment in 2007, the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2008, and the Spirit of the USO Award in 2009, to name a few. Additionally, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Patriot Award for his outstanding humanitarian work.

In a recent interview with WTOP News before Memorial Day weekend, Gary reflected on the role of Lt. Dan, saying, “It was an honor to play Lt. Dan in ‘Forrest Gump.’ He’s obviously a disabled veteran, and at the Gary Sinise Foundation, we’re constantly serving the needs of the men and women who make these sacrifices for us."

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Forrest Gump, one of the last top-grossing films to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

“It’s amazing how that movie resonated with people and how the next generation or two have seen the film because it was so popular back when their parents were younger,”said Gary.

“It really resonated with a lot of people. It was an entertaining way to look at American history, obviously a bit fantasized through the eyes of Forrest Gump, but my connection to the movie in playing Lt. Dan represented an entire generation of veterans.”

Happy Anniversary Lieutenant Dan, Bubba Blue, Jenny, and Forrest Gump! Today, we salute you!

To celebrate this landmark moment, we wanted to share some of Gary's favorite moments from filming the movie.