EVENTS: Concert benefits Mills Foundation

Gary Sinise

On Sunday, August 10, 2025, Gary Sinise and his Lt Dan Band landed at Bowl In The Pines, part of the Snow Pond Center for the Arts. Their mission, rock out and raise money for the Travis Mills Foundation.

The evening started with U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills himself, helping to pump up the crowd. He was on stage to help auction off a commemorative Travis Mills Foundation license plate that had been assigned to a Maine State Trooper’s patrol car. When the bidding was done, $3,000 was raised for the Travis Mills foundation.

Next, Stolen Silver took the stage. Two men make lots of music with a guitar, fiddle, mandolin and harmonica. Their performance set the stage for the main event. Once again Travis Mills took the stage to introduce Gary Sinise and the Lt Dan Band. Earlier in the afternoon during an interview with Travis and Gary, Travis credited Sinise with the idea and motivation to start his own foundation to help what he terms, “Post 9/11 recalibrated veterans” such as himself learn to adapt and overcome the injuries that they sustained during their military service. Mills went on to say that their friendship started shortly after he was injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Travis went on to say that the Gary Sinise Foundation gifted him an adaptive home specifically built to accommodate him being able to live as normally as possible. During the interview, both men downplayed their contributions to the military, veterans and first responders. Sinise, a long-time actor and musician started his Lt Dan Band in 2003, playing USO shows around the world for the military. Often seen at hospitals meeting with injured military members, he saw it as a way to give back to our troops and bring a small part of home to them.