Tom Hanks charms military caregivers, encourages others to help when 'Today' visits IMS

Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks spent Thursday morning encouraging people to invest time — and not necessarily money — to help caretakers of military veterans.

It's a realistic request, he said after wrapping up an hour of co-hosting NBC's "Today" show at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"You don't have to write a check," said Hanks, campaign chair for the Hidden Heroes initiative of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. "You have to have a service you can provide. I think anybody could just ponder some of the blessings they have and pass it on."

The special "Today" telecast, which alternated between a trackside stage and a pavilion east of the Pagoda on a rainy morning, wrapped up two days of local Hidden Heroes promotion by Hanks, former senator Dole and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie leading up to Memorial Day weekend.

"Today" weather forecaster Al Roker appeared at IMS (telling the audience he thinks rain will "hold off" for Sunday's Indianapolis 500), and Sheryl Crow sang three songs.

"(Veterans) have sacrificed so much," Roker said, "but we don't talk about the families who sacrifice probably almost as much and in some ways more. Day in and day out, 24/7, they are taking care of these folks. It's a grueling, thankless job in a sense. I think anything we can do to bring that to the forefront is time well spent."

Hanks kept the audience, largely made up of veterans and their caregivers, loose before "Today" shifted its focus from New York to Indianapolis at 8 a.m.

He shared the secret of being an extra in a movie (mouth the words "peas and carrots" when in a scene). He executed his "Toy Story" catchphrase of "There's a snake in my boot!" for youngsters in the crowd. And he joked about his $3 fee for every person who posts his image on social media.

Hanks, who portrays Fred Rogers in upcoming film "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,"  said caregivers frequently mention "a break" when asked what they need.

"You guys are unstoppable, even though you'd like to stop sometimes," he said.

The presence of Hanks and Crow attracted IndyCar CEO Mark Miles to check out the show. He praised NBC as the network prepares to air the Indy 500 for the first time.

"This is really terrific," Miles said before Crow performed "If It Makes You Happy" and "Soak Up the Sun" on a temporary stage near the track's start-finish line. "NBC has been an incredible partner in promoting everything May. It's a huge undertaking to bring the 'Today' show here, to bring Sheryl Crow and now Tom Hanks. It's just part of a massive effort to bring more attention to Indianapolis and Indianapolis Motor Speedway."

Crow performed a piano version of current single "Redemption Day" on a special set at the base of the Pagoda. The nine-time Grammy Award winner told Guthrie and Hanks she wrote the ballad after visiting U.S. soldiers in Bosnia in the mid-1990s.

Crow shares vocals on a revamped "Redemption Day" with Johnny Cash — who covered the song shortly before his death in 2003.

During a break in the telecast, Hanks nodded toward a huddle of "Today" crew members and proclaimed it a "TV crisis."

" 'Friends' is off the air and Thursdays aren't the same for NBC," deadpanned Hanks, whose '80s sitcom "Bosom Buddies" migrated to NBC in reruns after ABC canceled the show. 

One attendee brought a newly purchased volleyball to the track, hoping Hanks might autograph the prop popularized in 2000 film "Cast Away."

A veteran who uses a wheelchair devoted his moment with Hanks to mention a previous meeting with Gary Sinise, who co-starred with Hanks in "Forrest Gump."

"He'll remember you," Hanks said of Sinise, who portrayed a Vietnam War amputee in the 1994 film.

Returning to the mission of Hidden Heroes, Hanks acknowledged family-to-family outreach while also suggesting other ways to assist caregivers and veterans.

"Say you're working at a bank, and you want to help process a loan for somebody who could really use a loan," Hanks said. "Or you know about real estate, and somebody's looking for a new house.

"Or you work at a university, and someone comes to you and  says, 'How can I work out studying for my next career?' That's the stuff that's going to be invaluable, where you give people not just the help to get through the day — which is incredibly important — but whatever the ticket is to the next chapter of their lives."

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Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at 317-444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317lindquist.