West Point alumni group cancels award ceremony for Tom Hanks
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Tom Hanks
Nathanred — 6 months ago(October 06, 2025 03:16 AM)
He was going to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award, which recognizes an "outstanding citizen" who did not attend West Point and has a distinguished record of service that exemplifies the academy’s ideals: "Duty, Honor, Country." The group did not say whether they were only cancelling the ceremony or revoking the reward entirely.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/west-point-alumni-group-cancels-151303971.html
Bieger wrote that the alumni association, in coordination with the academy, “will not be holding the Thayer Award ceremony” as originally scheduled and apologized for the cancellation. The email did not say whether Hanks’s award has been revoked or if it will be presented in some other format.
The decision marks a dramatic shift from June, when the association announced Hanks as its 2025 Thayer recipient. The alumni group cited his work acting in several movies portraying U.S. service members, including “Saving Private Ryan,” “Forrest Gump” and “Greyhound.” It also credited his producing of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific,” both World War II-themed miniseries, and his extensive advocacy for veterans.
Hanks, the announcement noted, was a leading proponent for creation of the World War II Memorial in D.C.; supported efforts to build a national memorial for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a celebrated Army general before entering politics; and served as national chairman for a massive fundraising campaign to establish what is now the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
“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,” Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni association’s board chairman, said in the June announcement.