The “Forrest Gump” actor Gary Sinise joined the Make It Mean More campaign, which turns “thank you for your service” tweets into real help for veterans.
For Navy veteran Bill Day, Veterans Day 2020 started out like any other morning in his Albany, New York, home, until a familiar face suddenly appeared on his computer screen.
On the other end of a surprise Zoom call was actor Gary Sinise, best known for playing Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump. Smiling through the screen, Sinise delivered the kind of message most people only dream of hearing.
“I get to be the messenger to tell you that you get to have your entire mortgage paid off by Veterans United,” Sinise said. “So you’re not going to have to pay for any of that.”
Day froze, pointing to himself in disbelief.
“What? Me!? No, I don’t deserve that!” he said, his voice cracking. Moments later, the single father of four was wiping tears from his eyes. “My son is severely autistic, and we’re having so many issues that this is gonna just help. It’s gonna help a lot.”
The unexpected call was part of a larger nationwide effort called #MakeItMeanMore, a campaign created by Veterans United Home Loans to give real meaning to the words “thank you for your service.” Through the initiative, the company promised to donate $25 for every tweet expressing gratitude to U.S. service members, and to surprise several deserving veterans by paying off their mortgages in full.
As Sinise’s heartfelt reveal made clear, sometimes gratitude doesn’t just sound good, it changes lives.
The Surprise and the Story
What began as a simple video shoot quickly became a life-changing moment for Bill Day. The Navy veteran thought he was appearing in a short segment to help promote Veterans United Home Loans ahead of Veterans Day, he had no idea the company planned to erase his entire mortgage balance.
Sinise, a longtime advocate for military families, had volunteered to break the news himself.
“I get to be the messenger to tell you that you’re gonna get your entire mortgage and your loan paid off by Veterans United. You’re not gonna have to worry about any of that.”
– PEOPLE
When the words sank in, Day’s expression shifted from disbelief to tears. His home loan, $168,000 in total, was gone. The financial pressure that had weighed on him as a single father of four, including a son with severe autism, suddenly lifted.
The surprise was part of Veterans United’s #MakeItMeanMore campaign, which aimed to turn public appreciation into real-world help. For every “thank you for your service” tweet posted on Veterans Day, the company pledged to donate $25 toward paying off veterans’ mortgages.
“We wanted to get behind every American person that said ‘thank you for your service’ and make that statement mean more,” explained Pam Swan, vice president of military relations at Veterans United. “Home ownership, it’s one of the ways we could think of doing that.”
– WTEN / Nexstar Media Wire
The results were immediate. In just one day, more than $2 million was generated through the campaign, allowing the company to pay off ten veterans’ mortgages in full.
The emotional reveals, captured over Zoom, featured celebrities like J.R. Martinez, Joe Mantegna, and chef Robert Irvine, all eager to deliver good news to fellow service members.
“The opportunity to continue serving through this program means the world to me,” Martinez, an Army veteran and burn survivor, told PEOPLE. “I was willing to die for service, and now I’m grateful that I get to live to experience the ways grateful Americans serve our troops.”
Bill Day’s Background
Before that unforgettable Zoom call, Bill Day had spent decades quietly serving his country and his family.
A native of Albany, New York, Day joined the U.S. Navy in 1988 and served on active duty until 1991, including time in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. He later joined the Navy Reserves, where he worked alongside the U.S. Coast Guard on anti-drug and rescue missions in Mexico and Central America. Day was honorably discharged in 1996 as a signalman, third class.
–Veterans United Home Loans – YouTube
After returning to civilian life, he built a career in information technology for the state of New York and focused on raising his four children as a single father. His youngest son’s severe autism made balancing work and home life especially challenging.
In 2018, Day purchased his first home using benefits from the GI Bill, which offers veterans reduced mortgage rates and fees. But even with those advantages, the costs were daunting.
“It was a stretch,” Day told WTEN. “I can’t even describe; I’m getting choked up. I can’t even describe how this is really helping me.”
The mortgage forgiveness didn’t just provide relief, it reshaped his family’s future. His teenage daughter, who had put her own dreams on hold to help care for her brother, could finally attend college in Texas.
“Two weeks ago, I was like there was no way I could do this. Now I can do it, she’s going.”
– WTEN / Nexstar Media Wire
For Day, the news was more than a financial reset. It was validation that his service, and his sacrifices as a parent, had been seen and appreciated.
Impact and Reflection
When the shock wore off, the magnitude of what had happened began to sink in for Bill Day. The mortgage forgiveness wasn’t just about money, it was about breathing room, dignity, and hope.
“I can’t even describe how this is really helping me,” Day said, still emotional after the announcement. “It takes away so much of the burden I’ve been carrying.”
– WTEN / Nexstar Media Wire
With one life-changing phone call, Day could now redirect his focus from bills to family. He spoke proudly of his daughter’s college dream, something he once thought impossible.
“Even though she applied, I didn’t know what the answer would be. She’s very smart, has over a 4.0, but two weeks ago I was like, there’s no way I could do this. Now I can do it, she’s going.”
–WTEN / Nexstar Media Wire
The gift also carried a deeper message. For Day, it showed that even small gestures of gratitude, like saying “thank you for your service”, can ripple into something profound when backed by action.
“I definitely want people to know that saying ‘thank you for your service,’ whether it’s Veterans Day or not, they might not show it, but they appreciate it.”
– WTEN
Day’s response echoed the heart of the #MakeItMeanMore campaign itself: to turn appreciation into impact, transforming kind words into tangible support for veterans and their families.
Why It Matters
For millions of veterans across the United States, the end of military service doesn’t always mean the end of struggle.
According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, about one in three veterans say they’ve had trouble paying bills after leaving the military. Many face additional barriers to affordable housing, steady employment, and accessible mental-health care.
While federal programs continue to expand, it’s often nonprofits and private organizations that fill the gaps. Companies like Veterans United Home Loans and foundations like the Gary Sinise Foundation have stepped forward to make direct, personal impacts, from building adapted homes for wounded warriors to forgiving debts for those in need.
“The #MakeItMeanMore campaign is an amazing example of how we, at Veterans United and the American people, can be part of something so much more,” said Pam Swan, Veterans United’s vice president of military relations. “Imagine if those simple words, ‘thank you for your service,’ could change someone’s life. That’s exactly what this program does.”
– PEOPLE
The 2020 campaign alone raised more than $2 million, funding full mortgage payoffs for 10 veterans, including Day, while showing that national gratitude can translate into real relief for those who’ve served.
Through moments like these, the message resonates clearly: when appreciation is paired with action, it doesn’t just honor veterans, it rebuilds lives.
SECTION 6 – Full-Circle Gratitude
For Bill Day, the life-changing surprise did more than erase a debt, it reignited a mission.
“There are people who didn’t come home, who got hurt,” he said quietly. “I have to find a way to pay this back.”
– Veterans United Home Loans – YouTube
Since the call, Day has vowed to make a donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which builds specially adapted smart homes and provides essential support for veterans and first responders. He also hopes to one day buy and renovate properties that can be rented to other veterans at discounted rates, a small way to keep the cycle of gratitude going.
His reaction, disbelief, tears, then resolve, mirrors the heart of the #MakeItMeanMore campaign itself. A simple “thank you” may not seem like much, but paired with compassion and commitment, it can change a family’s future.
As Actor Gary Sinise reminded viewers in the video, the best way to honor service is to serve in return. And for Bill Day, that message now echoes in the walls of a fully paid-off home, a lasting reminder of what gratitude can build.