On the weekend, the alumni association at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point reportedly scrapped a plan to give 69-year-old Oscar winner Tom Hanks their Sylvanus Thayer Award.
The award honors an ‘outstanding citizen’ who didn’t attend the academy but exemplifies the the values of ‘duty, honor and country’. The ceremony was scheduled for later this month.
Hanks has been a long time advocate for veterans and their caregivers, and starred in and/or produced some of the most notable and positive films and shows about the U.S. military ever made including “Saving Private Ryan” and HBO’s “Band of Brothers”. He’s portrayed a service member across a number of works.
A rep for the Academy tells The Washington Post that: “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.”
In the wake of the cancellation, U.S. President Donald Trump went after Hanks in a posting to Truth Social, reportedly saying (via THR): “Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move! We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE.”
As many are pointing out on social media, Hanks being called ‘woke’ is hardly new but being labelled ‘destructive’ may be a first. Hanks was most recently seen in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” and will next be seen in “Toy Story 5” next year.
