After Donald Trump renamed the U.S. Department of Defense to the Department of War, Tom Hanks was prevented from receiving an alumni award from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
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Tom Hanks was scheduled to attend an event at West Point on September 25 to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award. Although he never served in the U.S. Army, the 69-year-old actor has always been a strong supporter of veterans.
According to the DailyMail, the institution grants the award to people who are not alumni but who “offer comparable integrity” to the academy’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Mark Bieger, president and CEO of the military academy and a retired Army colonel, announced that the ceremony had been canceled on the same day Trump made the announcement.
Bieger informed the guests about the cancellation of the event via email.
He said the decision allows West Point “to continue focusing on its primary mission of preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win as officers of the world’s most lethal force, the United States Army.”
This comes after Tom Hanks portrayed a Donald Trump supporter on Saturday Night Live in February. The “Saving Private Ryan” actor caricatured a “racist redneck.”
Hanks has not yet commented on the cancellation of the event.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
