Tom Cruise receives US Navy’s highest civilian honor

After the Honorary Palme d’Or, the titles of Knight of Arts and Letters and honorary member of the Patrouille de France, Tom Cruise adds a new award to its list of achievements. Without doubt the most important of his career. On December 17, the star of Top Gun received from the hands of the Secretary of the United States Navy, Carlos Del Torothe Navy’s highest civilian distinction: the Public Service Medal. The ceremony took place at Longcross Studios, near London.

“It was an honor for me to present Tom Cruise with the Honorary Public Service Award for advocating for the Navy through his films for decades,” said Carlos Del Toro, according to Deadline. His work has inspired generations to serve in our military. » He notably cited the performances of the American actor in the films Top Gun, Born on the 4th of July, men of honor et Mission Impossible as examples. During his speech, the 62-year-old actor was very moved. “I admire all military men and women. I know that in life – and this is very true for me – to lead is to serve, he said. I appreciate everyone’s commitment and it is a true honor to represent them. I’m really proud of it. I’m overcome with emotion because it’s something that I wanted, you know, I wanted people to be like, “Oh, that’s me,” to inspire them to understand what that means. So thank you very much. » “I will continue to do what I do and I know that you will continue to do what you do: serve our country and make this world a better place,” he concluded.