The West Point Association of Graduates has canceled a ceremony that was set to honor Tom Hanks with the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an “outstanding citizen” whose career exemplifies the U.S Military Academy’s ideals of “Duty, Honor, Country,” according to The Washington Post.
In an email to faculty, Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the Association, explained the decision as a desire to “focus on [the Academy’s] core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world’s most lethal force.”
Hanks was announced as the 2025 recipient of the award in June. At the time, the Association highlighted the actor’s numerous portrayals of military figures in films such as Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Greyhound; his work as a producer on acclaimed series like Band of Brothers and The Pacific; and his long-standing advocacy for veterans, including leading a fundraising campaign for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
Related Video
“Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the care of the American veteran, their caregivers and their families, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans,” Robert McDonald, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Association’s board chairman, said when Hanks was first announced as the honoree.
The West Point Association of Graduates’ cancelation of the award comes amid a wave of controversial changes the Trump Administration has made to the US military. Since returning to office, Donald Trump has fired numerous top leaders, ordered reviews of the curriculums at academies like West Point, and just this week, he renamed the Department of Defense as the Department of War.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., celebrated the decision to strip Hanks of the award, writing on X: “Great to see [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth] holding the line for @realdonaldtrump to make the military strong again. West Point should be focused on training the next generation of war fighters, not celebrating woke leftwing celebrities with awards!!!”
