Tom Cruise Awarded U.S. Navy’s Top Civilian Honor

deadline.com:

The U.S. Navy today gave Tom Cruise its highest civilian honor for “his outstanding contributions to the Navy and Marine Corps.” At a ceremony in London, U.S.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro gave the Top Gun: Maverick star the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the highest honor the secretary can bestow on a civilian outside the Department of the Navy.

While Cruise’s work on the two Top Gun films is likely a big reason for the honor, Secretary Del Toro also cited Cruise’s decades of work from 1986 to 2023, a span that also included Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men and the Mission: Impossible movies. “It was an honor to present Tom Cruise with a Defense Public Service award for his decades of naval advocacy through many movies,” said Secretary Del Toro. “His work has inspired generations to serve in our Navy and Marine Corps.” Indeed, after the first Top Gun hit screens in 1986, recruitment for Navy pilots surged in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In addition, the Navy noted that, more recently, Top Gun: Maverick “brought nostalgia to older audiences and reinvigorated younger viewers’ interest in the skill sets and opportunities the Navy provides.”  Also on hand for the ceremony was Cruise’s Mission: Impossible, Top Gun: Maverick and Jack Reacher collaborator Christopher McQuarrie. “I’m happy I have been able to be a source of inspiration to many of the sailors who serve today or have served in the past,” said Cruise. “The effort was not just on my end, but the cast and crew I get to work with on all our sets.