Tom Hanks won’t be receiving a U.S. Military honor just yet.
The Elvis actor, 69, had been scheduled to receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award at a Sept. 25 ceremony hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. But the event was canceled by the school’s alumni association, The Washington Post reported.
The decision was shared in an email to faculty from retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates. In the message, Bieger explained the reason behind the cancellation.
“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,” he wrote.
Bieger did not say whether Hanks would still receive the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award at a later event or in a different format, according to The Washington Post.
The award is given each year to a U.S. citizen whose work and service reflect the values of West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” The academy announced in June that Hanks would receive the honor.
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At the time of the announcement, Robert A. McDonald, chairman of West Point’s board, said Hanks was chosen partly because of his portrayals of service members in films like Saving Private Ryan, Forrest Gump, and Greyhound.
“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,” McDonald said in a statement.
The academy also praised Hanks for his support of the military. He has served as national chairperson of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign and joined former Senator Bob Dole as a national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Hanks, who said the award would have marked his first visit to West Point, reacted at the time: “To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country’s history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful.”
The cancellation comes during a time of transition at West Point. According to The Washington Post, changes that began under Donald Trump’s presidency included rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the armed forces, along with more scrutiny of leadership, teaching, and faculty at service academies.
Hanks has been a supporter of the Biden administration and endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. In 2022, he narrated a video marking the anniversary of Joe Biden’s inauguration and later signed an open letter with other Greek-Americans backing Harris’ presidential bid, The National Herald reported.
