Gary Sinise Does This for Fallen Soldiers’ Families Every Year — and It’s Breaking Hearts Online

Each year, actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise transforms heartbreak into healing through a tradition that has quietly become one of the most meaningful tributes to America’s fallen heroes. What began as a heartfelt idea has grown into Snowball Express — a powerful program that brings together families who have lost a loved one in the U.S. military and gives them something many thought they had lost forever: moments of joy.

Through Snowball Express, more than 1,000 children and their surviving parents are flown to Disneyland completely free of charge. Every detail is covered — flights, hotels, meals, park tickets, special events, and transportation — allowing families to step away from daily burdens and simply focus on being together. For many, it is the first time they’ve smiled without guilt since their loss.

But Snowball Express is about far more than theme parks and rides. It’s about connection. Children who have grown up feeling different because of their grief suddenly find themselves surrounded by others who truly understand. They don’t have to explain why certain days are hard or why a song, a uniform, or a flag can bring tears. Everyone there shares the same invisible bond.

Throughout the multi-day experience, families take part in a carefully balanced program that blends celebration with remembrance. There are joyful group activities, character meet-and-greets, and late-night laughter — but there are also quiet moments of honor, where fallen service members are remembered with dignity and love. Memorial ceremonies allow families to speak names out loud, to grieve together, and to feel seen.

Gary Sinise, whose dedication to veterans and military families spans decades, is often present himself — not as a celebrity, but as someone deeply committed to listening, hugging, and standing alongside those who sacrificed the most. His mission has always been clear: “These families should never feel forgotten.”

For parents, Snowball Express offers something just as vital. In a space filled with understanding, they find support from others walking the same path. Conversations happen naturally — about parenting through grief, about anniversaries, about rebuilding life while carrying loss. Many leave with lifelong friendships that continue long after the trip ends.

Perhaps most powerful of all is what Snowball Express teaches the children. It shows them that while their loss will always be part of their story, it does not define their entire future. That joy is not a betrayal of remembrance. That laughter can exist alongside love for the parent who is no longer there.

In a world that often moves on too quickly, Snowball Express pauses — just long enough to say, you matter. Through Gary Sinise’s leadership and compassion, grief is met with kindness, sorrow with support, and loss with hope.

And year after year, for families who have given everything, that reminder changes lives.