Tom Hanks into Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame

Tom Hanks has been inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

Actor Tom Hanks was inducted Thursday as an honorary member of the U.S. Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame for his accurate portrayal of a World War II Army Ranger company commander in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” and for his continued commitment to honoring those who served in the war.

Besides his role in “Saving Private Ryan,” Hanks was cited for serving as the national spokesman for the World War II Memorial Campaign, for being the honorary chairman of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign, and for his role in writing and helping to produce the Emmy Award-winning miniseries, “Band of Brothers.”

Hanks, who was unable to attend the induction ceremony, becomes the first actor to receive such an honor.

Certainly, a well-deserved honor given Hanks’ contributions to raising awareness of the heroism of WWII soldiers. Still, I’d have waited to induct him for an occasion when he could fit it into his schedule.

The honor is not totally unprecedented. George M. Cohan, who wrote a series of patriotic songs that inspired the WWI and WWII generations, including “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Over There,” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal (not, as popularly believed owing to the film “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” the Medal of Honor) by FDR.

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Tom Hanks into Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame

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