Gary Sinise Salutes Post-9/11 Veterans

America’s War on Terror began 22 years ago. A new generation of heroes has led the way

Gary Sinise,

AARP Experience Counts

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En español

Published September 28, 2023

Gary Sinise, Jeremy Haynes and Chelsea Aiko Haynes pose for a photo during the Invincible Spirit Festival in 2016.

Tim Lundin/Gary Sinise Foundation

Americans and the world were profoundly affected by the terrorist attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001.

The tragic loss of life and the violence perpetrated that terrible day left us heartbroken. But it also stirred many Americans to action and service. That service, as in previous generations, came at a price.

closeup of a rusty dog tag with the text thank you veterans engraved in it, next to a flag of the United States

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I remember so clearly that Tuesday morning as I watched it unfold on television. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach and the wind knocked out of me. As the days and weeks followed, the pain and sadness grew stronger, the images of that day replaying over and over in my head. I was determined to do something, and that fall 22 years ago, my grief, anger and fear began to be eclipsed by a profound sense of patriotism.

Service to others and support of the brave men and women who raised their hand to defend our country became a call to action for me. My heart broke for the families of the almost 3,000 lost on 9/11, and service and volunteerism through what became the Gary Sinise Foundation was the current of healing that gave me strength and has kept me going all these years.

America’s armed response to the outrage of 9/11 began on Oct. 7, 2001, when combat operations started in Afghanistan. Each year, this date marks an appropriate moment to pause from our daily lives to take stock and reflect.

In what became known as the global war on terror, 4,431 Americans would lose their lives in Afghanistan and 2,354 in Iraq. The total number of wounded still staggers me: 52,153. In all, some 1.9 million American service members deployed in those two wars.

Behind the statistics are real people: not just the individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice or suffered life-changing injuries, but also their families and friends.

It has been the honor of my lifetime to travel across the world in support of our troops, visiting U.S. military bases and hospitals to lift spirits and deliver a message of gratitude from the American people.

I have been privileged to meet so many young heroes, but two of them epitomize not just the sacrifice of so many of the 9/11 generation but also their resilience and indomitable spirit, their determination not just to survive but to thrive and keep giving back.

Jeremy Haynes, now a retired major, was in JROTC and in his senior year of high school when he witnessed the events of 9/11 and decided to serve his country.

He went to Georgia Military College and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army after two years. It was then that his military career started in earnest, including a deployment to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division.

On June 22, 2011, he married Chelsea Aiko, who had also decided to join the military after 9/11. She was a drill sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves and the couple started a beautiful family together.

The Army recognized Jeremy’s talents. He was promoted to captain and appointed aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, the deputy commanding general of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, which trained Afghan forces.

On Aug. 5, 2014, during an inspection visit to Camp Qargha, site of Afghanistan’s National Defense University, a member of the Afghan National Army opened fire on a delegation of officers and other dignitaries.

Gen. Greene, 55, was shot dead, the first American general officer to be killed in action since Vietnam. Jeremy, then 30, was running toward his boss when the gunfire erupted. Four bullets hit Jeremy, fracturing his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed.

A few days later, Jeremy woke up in an intensive care unit in Germany. Chelsea was at his bedside.

Jeremy later had moments when he wanted to give up. He told Chelsea: “I’m not the man you fell in love with. I am half of a man so therefore I understand if you leave me and you go and remarry.” Her response was: “I’m here.”

Chelsea recalled: “You don’t know how much strength you have to gather to be by their side. You hear all the horror stories about spouses who have left because of injuries, so I made a promise to myself that I would be there by his side no matter what.”

That November, Jeremy, who had been told he would probably not walk again, took his first steps. He later took up adaptive skiing and participated with Chelsea in the D.C. Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride.

They gave their third child the middle name Harold, after Gen. Greene, and asked his widow, Susan Myers, to be godmother.

In October 2020, Jeremy, Chelsea and their six children moved into a smart home custom-built amid six forested acres in Fairfax, Virginia, as part of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program.

Creating the home had been a three-year process, with every detail tailored to Jeremy’s needs so that, in his words, he would be “able to independently achieve things that many said I'll never be able to do alone … forging a greater bond with my family.”

Jeremy, 39, is now one of the Gary Sinise Foundation’s 31 ambassadors, helping spread the word about our work, proudly sharing our accomplishments and aspirations as well as his own incredible story of service.

Heroes such as Jeremy and Chelsea inspire me every day. They are the very best of America and the generation of post-9/11 veterans. And they are present-day reminders that our freedom and security come at a price and a sacrifice that we must always honor and respect.

You can subscribe here to AARP Veteran Report, a free e-newsletter published twice a month. If you have feedback or a story idea then please contact us here.

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Gary Sinise is an actor, musician and humanitarian whose Gary Sinise Foundation serves America’s veterans, first responders, their families and those in need. He wrote a monthly Gary Sinise Salutes column for AARP.

Gary Sinise Salutes Post-9/11 Veterans

America’s War on Terror began 22 years ago. A new generation of heroes has led the way

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