Monday April 17, 4:36 pm ET

ARLINGTON, Va., April 17 /PRNewswire/ — Actor, director and producer Gary Sinise will soon depart for the Persian Gulf on his 18th USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour to visit service members in the region. Currently starring in the hit CBS series “CSI: New York,” Sinise also is known to troops as Lt. Dan in “Forrest Gump.”

A long-time supporter of service members and veterans, Sinise was among a host of celebrities on the USO’s first tour to Baghdad in June 2003. His other tours include visits to troops in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Italy and Diego Garcia. Sinise also often tours with the Lt. Dan Band, performing concerts overseas and at military bases in the United States, most recently at Twentynine Palms, Calif., and Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.