NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Actor Gary Sinise spent part of his Thanksgiving week serving meals to troops in Tennessee.

The ‘Forrest Gump’ actor’s foundation provided a Thanksgiving lunch from Mission BBQ to guardsmen at the Tennessee National Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters in Nashville on Monday. Sinise himself was on hand to serve up the barbeque in person.

Tennessee Serves, an initiative of first lady Maria Lee’s, also pitched in for Monday’s holiday event.

The Tennessee National Guard celebrated 250 years of service earlier this year. It was back in 1774 – before Tennessee was even a state – when the royal governor of Virginia sought to defend his state’s frontier from raids by Native Americans. 

That’s when Capt. Evan Shelby mobilized a volunteer militia in the Watauga settlement – territory that eventually became part of the “Volunteer State.”

Governor Bill Lee, his wife Maria, and Gary Sinise thank the Tennessee National Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Pfc. Landon Evans)

Advertisement

What is the Gary Sinise Foundation?

The actor’s outreach to veterans is well documented. He founded the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2010 in an effort to improve the lives of the country’s servicemembers.

The foundation donates everything from meals to suits to vacations and even new homes – all for free – to veterans and first responders around the country. And his “Lt. Dan Band,” named for his famous Forrest Gump character, performs at military installations across the country.

JACKSON, Tenn.– If you are planning on hitting the road for Thanksgiving travel, for Thursday and the holiday weekend, here’s what you should know.

AAA has estimated that 71. 7 million Americans are taking a road trip for Thanksgiving.

Of those millions, 570,000  may experience some car trouble.
Some of the most common calls received from Triple A are flat tires, dead batteries, and lock out of their car.

For West Tennessee drivers, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)  has stopped all construction from now until 6 in the morning December 2.

Gas prices across the state are lower with an average price being $2.69 this is lower compared to years prior.

While the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) takes a halt in construction, the Tennessee Highway Patrol is working hard to keep drivers safe this holiday season.

The THP  says its Tennessee safe travel challenge is set for today and Sunday December 1.

This is to make sure that drivers are following the rules of the road.

State troopers say will be focusing their attention on Interstate 40.

They are urging that drivers buckle up and drive the designated speed limit to their destinations.

If you notice any unsafe driving call the Tennessee Highway Patrol at star 847.

Troopers also encourage everyone to avoid distractions while driving.

It started like many of Tennessee‘s home non-conference games have through the first month of the season.

The No. 7 Vols never trailed in its first game since two stellar outings at the Baha Mar Championship and its lead was never in question, but another defensive masterclass turned their game against UT Martin into a second half rout, producing a 78-35 victory at Food City Center on Wednesday.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee (7-0) did it without the kind of shooting clinic it put on against Virginia and Baylor in the Bahamas last week, finishing less than 30% from three-point range. Chaz Lanier led the Vols in scoring with 16 points, while Zakai Zeigler scored 11 and Felix Okpara finished with 10 along with 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Tennessee held UT Martin (2-5) to 23% shooting from the field and allowed just 15 second half points from the Skyhawks, with their 35 total points the fewest allowed at Food City Center since it opened in 1987.

It started slow, then Zakai Zeigler hit a step-back 3-pointer nearly two minutes in.

UT Martin answered with a Matija Zuzic three to even the score before the Vols rattled off an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers from Igor Milicic Jr. and Chaz Lanier to open up an 11-3 lead with a little under 16 minutes left in the first half.

The Skyhawks evidently made the most of the first media timeout after the Vols’ early onslaught. Leading scorer Josue Grullon scored on back-to-back possessions, including an acrobatic three-point shot from the corner to trim Tennessee’s lead to 12-8.

The Vols clapped back with a score from Milicic and a put-back dunk from Cade Phillips, who was the first player off the bench alongside Jordan Gainey to extend the lead to 16-10 with 11:34 to go in the half.

On the defensive end, Tennessee held UT Martin scoreless for at two-plus minute stretch while Milicic and Lanier bolstered the Vols on offense before the Skyhawks ended their drought to cut the Vols lead to nine at 23-14 as the clock ticked inside of eight minutes.

Tennessee had its own stagnant stretch on offense with less than seven minutes left in the half, going cold from the field for a couple of minutes before Darlinstone Dubar, who has made an impact off of the bench since making his debut at the Baha Mar Championship last week, sunk a 3-pointer to up the Vols’ lead to 28-14.

UT Martin went nearly five minutes without a basket, the result of Tennessee getting hands on the ball and keeping it on the Skyhawks’ end of the floor. Grullon was fouled on a deep 3-pointer that fell through to again end a drought and narrow their deficit to 28-17.

Tennessee’s only points in a four-minute stretch late in the half came from a pair of free throws from Phillips and Stefano Faloppa made a 3-pointer to pull UT Martin within 10. But Felix Okpara gathered in a pass under the basket and finished with a dunk to send the Vols into the half up 35-20.

As sluggish as Tennessee’s ending to the first half was, the Vols grabbed their largest lead quickly in the second half after Zeigler tallied another three and Okpara tipped the ball in to go up 40-20.

Tennessee added two more scores from Gainey and Zeigler again before UT Martin scored its first points of the of the half more than four minutes into the period.

The Vols’ three-point shooting woes continued with Zeigler’s shot in the opening second the only one made of five attempts through the first eight minutes, but those struggles hardly mattered.

The defense gave the Skyhawks fits and Tennessee found other ways to score to maintain a 20-point cushion.

Lanier ended the Vols’ cold streak from deep with a three from the top of the of the key to go ahead 54-29 with 8:58 to go. He had a second on the next possession that rimmed out, but Okapra was there for the put-back.

Dubar scored in transition off of a turnover and Milicic pulled down Zeigler’s eighth assist for a dunk to highlight a 16-3 run over six minutes that upped Tennessee’s lead to a commanding 64-31 edge.

Tennessee will open December with another power conference test on its home floor.

The Vols host Syracuse in the ACC/SEC Challenge at Food City Center on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET (TV: ESPN) in a rematch of the Maui Invitational in Honolulu last November.

Tennessee won that game, 73-56.

The Vols played at North Carolina in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge last season, coming up short in a second half comeback bid in Chapel Hill.

Syracuse is off to a 3-2 with wins over Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State and losses to Texas and Texas Tech. The Orange play Cornell later tonight.