Tom Hanks' honorary award has been canceled

Famed actor Tom Hanks has been stripped of a major award from the U.S. Army War College, West Point. The Sylvanus Thayer Award, one of West Point's most prestigious awards, was revoked just weeks before the ceremony.

It has been announced that Tom Hanks, who received the Honorary Award from US President Lyndon B. Johnson for his role in the series Forrest Gump, will not receive a military honor in real life.

The alumni association of the U.S. Army War College, also known as West Point, announced in May that Hanks would be awarded the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award. This award is given to "outstanding citizens of the United States who, through service and achievements in the national interest, demonstrate personal devotion to the ideals of 'Duty, Honor, Country,' as expressed in the West Point motto."

The Washington Post reported that the alumni association had canceled the ceremony weeks before the event was scheduled, and Retired Colonel Mark Bieger, in an email to faculty, said the decision would allow the academy to "remain focused on its core mission: preparing students to lead, fight, and win as officers in the world's most lethal force, the United States Army."

Tom Hanks, who serves as national spokesman for the World War II Memorial in Washington and supported Republican Senator Bob Dole's fundraising campaign to create the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, declined to comment.

The US media claimed that Hanks' support for Democrats was the reason for this.

Source: News Center