10 quick questions for gary sinise & joe mantegna | members only access

Award-winning actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna are beloved performers, easily recognizable because of their numerous roles on stage and screen. Yet both actors say the role they’re most

proud of is cohosting — for the 16th time — the National Memorial Day Concert. Mantegna, who previously hosted the event solo, says: “The smartest thing I ever did was bring in Gary Sinise

and get involved with him because nobody in our industry does more for the military than this guy.”  WHAT’S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR, WHAT STAYS THE SAME? GARY SINISE: Joe and I are a little

grayer than when we started. JOE MANTEGNA: Yeah, the visuals are a little different. What’s exciting and meaningful for me is the continuity of it. The fact that all these people come

together to embrace this important day for what it is, that’s the constant. The thing that makes it different is just how each year has its own kind of a thing. For Gary and I, the fact that

General [Colin] Powell won’t be with us this year — Gary and I will be doing a salute to him — is going to be a big difference just in itself. GS: Joe and I are both always impressed and

sort of in awe a little bit as to how consistently beautiful this show is from year to year. There are certain people who return time and time again who will be missed this year, like Colin

Powell, he did it for a quarter century and we had [actor and writer] Ossie Davis who was a mainstay of the show early on, and then [WWII veteran and actor] Charles Durning who we lost as

well. It’s very special for all the people who have been involved for so many years. IS THERE SOMETHING, BESIDES THE CONCERT, THAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO DOING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN THE

NATION’S CAPITAL? JM: It depends on the schedule but very often, we’ll go to the veterans hospitals. Rolling Thunder [motorcycle rally] happens on that Sunday. All of a sudden, you got

thousands of motorcycle guys going through town and they have special events on the Mall. Each year has a life of its own and that’s what makes each year unique. GS: It’s a little bit

different for us now because for so many years, we would have very special veterans in our families like Joe’s Uncle Willie and my Uncle Jack, both WWII veterans, and they became pals. They

are not with us anymore. I know we always think about them and those days. This year, the Gary Sinise Foundation is sponsoring about 35 Gold Star family members, many of them children, all

of them with a loved one buried at Arlington National Cemetery.  Actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna have been cohosting the National Memorial Day Concert for 16 years. Paul Morigi, Getty

Images on behalf of Capital Concerts Inc GARY, YOUR LT. DAN BAND HAS PLAYED ALL OVER THE WORLD AT USO SHOWS FOR AMERICA’S TROOPS. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE BASE OR LOCATION THAT STANDS OUT IN

YOUR MEMORY? GS: The first time I played at the National Memorial Day Concert in ’05. Joe called me up and said, “Hey, I’m doing this big giant concert. We’re going to do a USO segment. Will

you come and bring your band?” And it just so happened that we were going on an overseas USO tour that ended two days before the National Memorial Day Concert, so we got to D.C. and the

next thing I know, we’re on the stage of the National Memorial Day Concert in front of a couple hundred thousand people. It was very impactful, very powerful.