The West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG)—the official alumni association for the United States Military Academy—has announced it is canceling an award ceremony scheduled for later this month honoring Hollywood heavyweight Tom Hanks. Hanks, who has portrayed military veterans in movies like "Forrest Gump" and "Saving Private Ryan," was due to receive the the Sylvanus Thayer Award for "outstanding" service by a civilian who exemplifies West Point's core values of "Duty, Honor, Country."
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Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and CEO of the graduate association, relayed the news in an email to fellow graduates:
"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," Bieger wrote in the email, according to the [Washington] Post.
The group had announced in June that Hanks would be receiving the award, with the Honorable Robert A. McDonald, Class of 1975 and WPAOG Board Chairman, saying at the time, "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." In response, Hanks said being the recipient was "both humbling and meaningful."
President Trump, whose administration has been critical of the of the U.S. military's DEI focus and left-ward lurch under Democrat rule, applauded the WPAOG's decision to cancel the event, posting to Truth Social that the country doesn't "need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!!"
Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move! We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!
Folks on social media are wondering if the show cancelation has something to do with Hanks's recurring Saturday Night Live skit in which he plays Doug, a MAGA-hat-wearing "Black Jeopardy" contestant who's afraid to shake the hand of a black competitor. RedState's Rusty Weiss wrote of Bill Maher's reaction to the most recent Doug skit:
"I hated it," Maher said of the Hanks skit. "Wearing the MAGA hat, not shaking hands with a black person. And that’s when I thought, ‘You people don’t know MAGA people.'"
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And Hanks, a supporter of both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, has been critical of the president, once saying he was "offended as a man" after hearing the leaked Access Hollywood tape of Trump that was released during the 2016 presidential election. In an interview that same year, Hanks told the BBC that Trump was a "self-involved gasbag," adding that it would be a "dark day" if Trump were to win the White House.
It is unclear if Hanks will still receive the award despite the award ceremony being canceled, but the actor certainly isn't lacking in statuettes, gongs and other flair related to the entertainment world. In addition to his numerous acting nods, Hanks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Attempts by various media outlets to contact Bieger and Hanks for further information on the ceremony cancellation have thus far been unsuccessful.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
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