The prestigious U.S. Military Academy<\/a>, located north of New York City, had planned to honor the 69-year-old Forrest Gump<\/a> star with the Sylvanus Thayer Award at a ceremony on September 25. The award is traditionally presented to an \u201coutstanding citizen\u201d who is not an alumnus of the academy but exemplifies its ideals of \u201cduty, honor, and country.\u201d Former president Barack Obama<\/a> received the honor last year. <\/p>\n Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and chief executive officer of the West Point Association of Graduates, announced in an email Friday that the ceremony and parade would no longer go forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThis 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\u2019s most lethal force, the United States Army,\u201d Bieger wrote, according to the Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was not made clear whether Hanks\u2019 honor had been revoked or if he would be celebrated in a different way.<\/p>\n The Independent has contacted West Point and Hanks\u2019 representative for comment. <\/p>\n Hanks, a longtime Democrat, was originally named the 2025 recipient of the institution\u2019s Thayer Award in June. \u201cTom Hanks<\/a> 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,\u201d said Robert McDonald, a former secretary of veterans affairs and the alumni association\u2019s board chairman.<\/p>\n The prolific Hollywood star has portrayed U.S. service members in several movies, including Saving Private Ryan (1998), Forrest Gump (1994), and Greyhound (2020).<\/p>\n At the time, the Sleepless in Seattle actor and frequent Donald Trump critic<\/a> called the honor \u201chumbling and meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n The ceremony\u2019s unexpected cancellation comes as the college faces mounting political pressure from the Trump administration,<\/a> which has barred military academies from \u201cpromoting, advancing or otherwise inculcating\u201d ideas deemed \u201cun-American,\u201d including \u201cgender ideology\u201d and the idea that \u201cAmerica\u2019s founding documents are racist or sexist.\u201d<\/p>\n Late last month, West Point dissolved its sociology major and canceled history classes on gender and race and ethnicity. Professors were forced to remove works from James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and other writers of color.<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tom-Hanks.jpeg\")
Tom Hanks was scheduled to receive an award for being an ‘outstanding citizen’ and exemplifying the college’s ideals of duty, honor, and country (Getty)<\/p>\n