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The official West Point alumni association has canceled an awards ceremony later this month for veterans advocate Tom Hanks, according to a report.
Hanks, who is known for military movies like « Saving Private Ryan » and « Forrest Gump, » was also a former President Joe Biden supporter who has criticized President Donald Trump in the past.
He has received backlash from Trump supporters for his recurring MAGA character Doug on « Saturday Night Live, » who has appeared in « Black Jeopardy » sketches.
He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Retired Army Col. Mark Bieger, president and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, sent the news of the cancellation in an email to members, according to the Washington Post.
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The official West Point alumni association has canceled an awards ceremony later this month for veterans advocate Tom Hanks, according to a report. (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Hanks had been set to receive the Sylvanus Thayer Award for « outstanding » non-West Point graduates who exemplify « Duty, Honor, Country. »
The ceremony was scheduled to be held on Sept. 25.
« 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 Post.
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President Trump at West Point earlier this year. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Bieger didn’t specify if just the ceremony was canceled or if Hanks would no longer receive the award.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the alumni association and reps for Hanks for comment.
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The group announced Hanks would receive the award in June.
Tom Hanks portraying Trump supporter Doug on « Saturday Night Live. » (Chris Haston/NBC via Getty Images)
« 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, » Honorable Robert A. McDonald, Class of 1975, WPAOG Board Chairman, said in a statement at the time.
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Tom Hanks speaking at a D-Day ceremony in 2001 (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)
Hanks at a D-Day commemoration in 2009. (Pool Hounsfield/Samson/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Hanks called the honor « simply astounding, » adding, « West Point’s legacy of leadership, character, and service to the nation is a powerful example for all Americans. To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country’s history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful. »
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Tom Hanks in « Saving Private Ryan. » (CBS via Getty Images)
In the announcement, the association also noted Hanks serving as a spokesperson, along with the late Sen. Bob Dole, for the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., his serving as national chairperson of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign, and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation naming its veterans caregiving award the Tom Hanks Caregiver Champion Award.
