Gary Sinise funded a reprint of beloved horse racing book "Seabiscuit" in Arabic, so Iraqi schoolchildren can read it.

The actor teamed up with the book's author, Laura Hillenbrand, after learning that kids in Baghdad had become big fans of her tale of a heroic racehorse - following news from a U.S. colonel who had attempted to translate segments for them.

Sinise tells WENN, "Laura wanted to get it translated to Arabic because one of the colonels was reading the book and the Iraqi kids started asking him about it, so he contacted her and asked for Arabic translations of the book. We made 15,000 copies of Seabiscuit in Arabic and sent it over there."

That project sparked a connection for Sinise and the writer and they formed Operation Iraqi Children in a bid to get vital school supplies to the children of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The actor adds, "Over the past five years we've sent hundreds of thousands of supplies. Next month American Airlines is taking 25 tons of Operation Iraqi Children supplies over to Iraq and distributing stuff to the troops in Afghanistan to give to the kids."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)