Lt. Dan Taylor is a character in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump. Lt. Dan was born into a family proud of their military tradition. A member of the family died in every American war. Lt. Dan was a soldier during the Vietnam era. Most have seen the movie or after reading this may be interested in the Forrest Gump movie.

Next we need to turn to the prime time television show CSI New York. The main character is a hard working, get it done police officer, Lt. Mac Taylor. Mac Taylor is not only an police officer but a former Marine.

The common factor is that both of these characters are played by actor Gary Sinise. Even though his latest character is Mac Taylor-police officer he is mostly know for playing the character Dan Taylor aka Lt. Dan-Vietnam Veteran. The military soldiers today relate with Lt. Dan; they feel a connection with him. Instead of running away from this connection, Gary Sinise has embraced it.

Sinise is an accomplished bass guitar player. He and eleven other musicians formed a band in 2003. The name of this group is Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band. They have been playing for and entertaining the soldiers since their founding. They play at USO shows and even have performed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He does what ever he can to help the soldier and Veterans of the United States Military. The band also performs for the general public.

Whether you remember Sinise as Lt. Dan Taylor or Lt. Mac Taylor he gives his all to whatever he is doing. As for right now, CSI New York is blessed to have such a man filling the shoes of Lt. MAC Taylor.

France gave us the Statue of Liberty, Russia has given us a tear drop monument which symbolizes “The Struggle Against World Terrorism. This monument is another one of those that are in a “class of their own”. To best see this monument you have to approach New York City by ship or boat. The monument is located at The Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, New Jersey.

 

   The 100 ft monument was dedicated on 11 September, 2006. It features a 40 foot teardrop, (the Teardrop of Grief) suspended within a large bronze-clad tower. The monument honors the victims of 9/11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. It serves as a solidarity in the fight against world terrorism. It stands in direct view of the Statue of Liberty and the former site of the World Trade Center. The Monument was created and donated by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli and the Russian people.

 

    It is said that today you will see a large banner hanging on a warehouse alongside the monument, with the portraits if Putin and President George W. Bush facing each other across the saying “ To the Struggle Against World Terrorism.” The monuments base is inscribed with the names of those who Perished on 9/11 and those who lost their lives in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The base is eleven sided with nine pathways leading to the “Tear of Grief”

    CSI New York is a television show that is a spin-off from the CSI: Crime Scene
 Investigation television series. Also CSI Miami is part of the CSI programs that air on television.
These television shows are directly, indirectly a trilogy that evolves around solving some of the most heinous of crimes. The characters of these television series have often crossed paths in their detection
Of the crimes.

    CSI: NY follows the investigations of a department of New York City Police Detectives. These
Detectives are forensic scientists. They unravel the details behind mysterious and unusual deaths.  There are
other crimes that they also solve. The premier of CSI: NY was on 22 September, 2004 on CBS. The shows 100th episode aired on 19 November, 2009 in the USA on CBS.

    Mac Taylor played by Gary  Sinise is the leader of the CSI team. Mac will protect three things at
any cost, the honor of his country, the safety of his city and the integrity of the lab. Mac was a Major in the
United States Marine Corps. At times you can see the discipline of the Marines come through in his job.

    His team consists of Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) a first grade detective devoted to her
job. Stella is as devoted to her job as Mac is to his. Stella has a strong personality and intelligence. Danny Messer (Carmine Biovanazzo) a third grade detective, and Lindsay Monroe (Anna Belknap) another third grade detective; these two detectives lives intertwine because they become married and have a daughter named Lucy. The medical examiner; Doctor Sid Hammer back (Robert Joy), laboratory technician: Adam Ross (A.J. Buckley) and third grade detective: Doctor Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper) make up the main lab team.

    And then there is Mr. Cool: Donald “Don” Flack, Jr. played by Eddie Cahill. On the show he is known by “Flack” to his associates.  Flack comes from a long line of law enforcement officials. He is a bridge  between the gaps of old school NYPD and the new CSI. Sometimes his methods seem unconventional, but they usually get the job done.

    There are other characters but the mentioned are the main ones. On the series these characters bring out the best in each other. This CSI has some humorous moments as well as tragic ones. This
drama is one that unfortunately can and does exist everyday in  reality. You never know where the leads will direct the detectives to go.  Even though the crimes are horrific at times it is the way the cast  works together that makes you  like this show. In the end you either like this kind of television “entertainment”
or not. It is the viewers choice.

On November 7, 2009 the USS New York was commissioned in New York City. The USS New York was built using 7 tons of steel from the World Trade Center to cast the ships bow. It is the sixth ship to be named the USS New York after the state of New York, not the city.



It set sail out of Pier 88 in New York Harbor on the morning of November 12. It is the fifth in a new class of warship -designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.



There will be two sister ships built, that will be named the USS Arlington (LPD-24) and the USS Somerset (LPD-25) in commemoration of the places two of the other planes used in the attack came down: Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and Arlington County, Virginia.



The most important part, the ships motto is "Never Forget." The USS New York, is a way for America to show that you can knock us down, but you can't keep us down!

There are many well known and famous New Yorkers. One of those would be Malcolm Forbes who was the publisher of Forbes Magazine from 1964 until the time of his death in 1990. Besides the magazine, he also was in politics for a time along with real estate among other interests. Forbes liked the lavish lifestyle and had many motorcycles, a huge art collection, hot air balloons along with his large private plane and yacht. Forbes died at the age of 70 of a heart attack.

Jane Fonda was born in New York City in December, 1937. She is an actress, a writer, a fitness guru and has also been a political activist. For her acting career she has received many awards including two Academy Awards. Fonda has done several exercise videos which she produced herself. During the Vietnam War she was in many protests against the war and earned the nickname of "Hanoi Jane." Her protests did not stop there since she also protested the Iraq War and was involved in violence againt women.

Jane has completed her autobiography, "My Life So Far." She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Lou Gehrig was also born in New York in 1907. He played first base for the New York Yankees from 1923 until 1939. His career was cut short because of ALS which most people know as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Gehrig has been inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame and his number four jersey was retired. Gehrig passed away on June 2, 1941 of ALS.