West Point cancels Tom Hanks Sylvanus Thayer Award ceremony

The West Point Association of Graduates canceled a Sept. 25 ceremony that would have honored actor Tom Hanks with the Sylvanus Thayer Award, the alumni group's president said in an email to faculty on Friday. Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger wrote that the decision was intended to allow 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." He did not say whether Hanks will still receive the award at another time or whether it has been revoked.

The Thayer Award is given annually to an outstanding American who did not attend West Point but whose service and accomplishments exemplify the academy’s motto, Duty, Honor, Country. Past recipients have included presidents, astronauts and entertainers. The ceremony had been scheduled to include a parade on campus. Bieger apologized in the email for the cancellation but offered no further explanation.

Hanks was selected in June for his long record of advocacy for veterans and for his portrayals of U.S. service members on screen and in documentary work. The alumni board cited his roles in films such as Saving Private Ryan and his...