The alumni group at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has scrapped an official award celebration for Tom Hanks. The West Point Association of Graduates was scheduled to host a ceremony and parade honoring the 69-year-old actor and veterans advocate on Sept. 25.
A U.S. official who said he is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed the news, which was first reported in The Washington Post. The official told NPR that Hanks will still get the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award, and did not state why the formalities had been abandoned.
The Post said the decision was announced in an internal email sent to faculty by Mark Bieger, president and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, a copy of which was obtained by the newspaper. In the email, the Post said that Bieger stated the Army needed to focus on its core mission of “preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win.”
Hanks’ long history of veteran advocacy
A statement from the alumni association announced the award in June, praising Hanks for his ongoing support of veterans, noting his role as a national spokesperson for the World War II memorial in Washington D.C., his help with fundraising efforts for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in D.C., and his work as a spokesperson for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which supports military veterans and their caregivers. Hanks has also appeared in and produced many movies centered on U.S. military stories including the 1998 World War II drama Saving Private Ryan and 1994’s Forrest Gump, in which Hanks’ character serves in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War…