West Point's alumni association has abruptly canceled an award ceremony for Tom Hanks, a move raising questions about political pressure on the nation's premier military academy. The 69-year-old Hanks had been scheduled to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award later this month, the Washington Post reports. The award—one of the most prestigious honors from alumni group—goes to an "outstanding citizen" who did not attend the academy.
The alumni association did not cite specific reasons for the cancellation, with a statement from retired Army Col. Mark Bieger saying only that the "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." But it seems to follow a pattern of the Trump administration putting its imprint on West Point and other military academies. The New York Times notes that Hanks memorably spoofed supporters of President Trump in a Saturday Night Live skit earlier this year, and he previously supported Democrats including Joe Biden.
The decision comes months after Hanks was named the 2025 recipient for his extensive work supporting veterans and his portrayals of service members in films like Saving Private Ryan. (In May, a tenured West Point professor resigned and wrote an op-ed warning that the academy was "eliminating courses, modifying syllabuses and censoring arguments to comport with the ideological tastes of the Trump administration.")
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