Gary Sinise: 'Bass Playing Is What I Do For Fun'

Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) has taken this summer hiatus to spend some time with his Lt. Dan Band, which, he admitted, is one of the things that allows him to unwind.

"Acting is my career, that's what I do for a living, bass playing is what I do for fun," the actor recently told Metro News. "Luckily, I can actually do some good with it and play for people that actually appreciate it."

Sinise's Lt. Dan Band is one of the members of USO (United Service Organizations), a nonprofit organization that brings recreational services to troops around the world. Lt. Dan Band has visited various war-torn countries, including Iraq. "It was just about eight years ago that I started playing again. It eventually evolved into a band that plays together on a regular basis, and now we go out and do shows for the troops all over the place."

Aside from volunteering for USO, Sinise is also a prominent figure for Operation Iraqi Children, which he co-founded nearly two years ago. The organization's goal is to provide Iraqi children with basic school supplies, such as pencils, scissors, erasers, rulers, etc.

Sinise was inspired to create Operation Iraqi Children after a visit to the country, where he realized how lacking in materials the schools were, and still are. "The kids just didn't have very much," the actor told Newsweek. "I saw three, sometimes four kids packed around one little desk, and they were sharing a pencil."

"Completing this mission is better for everyone," the actor added. "So just put some pencils in a bag, give ' em to us and we'll get ' em to the kids over there."

Head over to Metro News and Newsweek to read the original articles.

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