The alumni group for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point abruptly canceled an award ceremony honoring actor Tom Hanks. Hanks, 69, was set to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award later this month for his civic contributions.
The Washington Post first reported on the news, citing an internal West Point Association of Graduates email sent by Mark Bieger, the group’s president and CEO. The event, set for Sept. 25, would feature a parade as well as a ceremony where Hanks would receive the award. According to Bieger’s email, the group will not hold the annual ceremony this year. NPR reports that Hanks will still receive the award, but it’s unclear when and how that will be presented to him.
“This decision allows the Academy to continue its focus on its core mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world’s most lethal force, the United States Army,” Bieger’s email said, per the Washington Post.
It’s unclear how the award presentation and the one-day ceremony would interfere with West Point’s operations or training for Army cadets. The West Point Association of Graduates did not immediately respond to questions from Task & Purpose.
Hanks, who has played fictional soldiers in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Forrest Gump’ and produced shows that adapted true stories from World War II such as ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific,’ has also been an advocate for veterans.It’s an abrupt and sudden cancellation and comes three months after the alumni group first announced Hanks would receive the award.
“Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans,” Board Chairman Robert McDonald said in a release from the group in June.
Hanks in turn called being selected for the award “both humbling and meaningful.”
The Sylvanus Thayer Award has been “given annually since 1958 to an outstanding citizen of the United States whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Point’s motto: ‘Duty, Honor, Country,’” according to the West Point Association of Graduates. Past winners have included diplomats, actors such as Hanks’ ‘Forrest Gump’ co-star Gary Sinise and several presidents. Barack Obama received the award in 2024. The ceremony includes a parade, a review of West Point cadets by the award recipient and a formal dinner.
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Alongside his production and acting work, Hanks has been an advocate for veterans. The West Point Association of Graduates specifically cited his help fundraising for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C. and his work as the national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial also in the capital. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country, by President Barack Obama in 2016. He also endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
West Point has seen several major firings and changes this year since the start of the second Trump administration. In February, Trump fired the boards of visitors at several military academies including West Point, accusing them of being “infiltrated” by leftists. In July, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll rescinded the appointment of Jen Easterly to an academic post after far-right activist Lara Loomer criticized her. Easterly, a West Point graduate herself, had served as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency under President Joe Biden.
