Gary Sinise (pictured above left) made this Christmas season one that nearly 2,000 children and their parents will never forget.

The Emmy Award-winning actor is a proud supporter of the United States military. His Snowball Express Program, which is part of the Gary Sinise Foundation, is no stranger to helping out military families.

Close

Through the program, he sent 1,750 children of Gold Star families to Disney World this month — just a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Over the weekend, the “Forrest Gump” star tweeted, “Over 1000 Gold Star Children travel w/ surviving parent, 1,750 in all, via @americanair to Disney World today as part of our @GarySiniseFound Snowball Express program. This charter left LAX this morning. I’ll join up in a few days. Have fun kids! We love you!”

A handful of people he invited even thanked him for doing so on Twitter and talked about their experiences at Disney World so far.

A user named Aimee W. posted pictures from the trip and wrote, “Thank you so much for this opportunity!!! We love you so much!!!”

Mike Brewer, who served in both the Air Force and Army, according to his Twitter account, also thanked Sinise, writing of his daughter, “She is risk averse. Won’t do ANYTHING like a roller coaster. Six trips and always a terrified back-out at last minute. Then you surrounded her with other Gold Star kids. And she rode them all. And loved it. Thank you.”

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

This is hardly the first time Sinise has shown his unwavering support for the military.

His foundation has served over 160,000 meals to veterans throughout the United States and developed around 70 “smart homes,” making them wheelchair accessible and easier overall for wounded veterans to live in independently, according to his foundation’s official website.

Sinise and The Lt. Dan band also travel around the country on a frequent basis to perform music for American troops.

He has gone on the USO Holiday Tour in the past, performing overseas around Christmas time, including last year when he went to Iraq and Afghanistan from December 19 to December 21.

Sinise also serves as the national spokesman for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. The memorial in Washington, D.C., pays respect to the over three million disabled veterans currently living in the United States.

For more on Gary Sinise’s Snowball Express program, check out the video below:

Tom Joyce is a freelance writer from the South Shore of Massachusetts. He covers sports, pop culture, and politics and has contributed to The Federalist, Newsday, and other outlets.