Tom Cruise received the Distinguished Public Service award from Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Tuesday.
By Jeff Schogol Task & Purpose
Tom Cruise — perhaps best known for the shirtless volleyball scene in the first ‘Top Gun” movie — has received the Navy’s top civilian honor, underscoring that there are no signs the close relationship between the Navy and Cruise is at risk of losing its lovin’ feeling.
“It is my honor to present the Distinguished Public Service award to Mr. Tom Cruise for his continued support of our Navy & Marine Corps team,” Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro wrote in a Tuesday post on X. “Your work has inspired generations to pursue careers of service to our country!”
Del Toro gave the award to Cruise on Tuesday in a ceremony near London, according to the Associated Press.
It’s fitting that the Navy has now awarded Cruise the service’s top civilian honor because he has helped to boost recruiting, said retired Navy Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a former Navy pilot and instructor at the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, the school at the center of the 1986 action flick and the 2022 sequel.
In the year following the original “Top Gun” movie, Navy recruitment — especially for aviation — went up by more than 100,000 applicants, Snodgrass told Task & Purpose on Tuesday. He added that after the most recent movie came out, several people reached out to him asking to advise their children on the best way to become a Navy aviator.
“You could probably make an argument that Tom Cruise is the Navy recruiter of the quarter-century just because of the first ‘Top Gun’ film and the most recent ‘Top Gun’ film, and how that not only drove guys and gals coming through high school and college to want to be naval aviators, but then also when you think about all the other people it influences to consider a career in the military,” Snodgrass said.
A spokeswoman for Navy Recruiting Command praised the most recent “Top Gun” movie for showing the “professionalism, teamwork, and cutting-edge capabilities” of the Navy.
“While the film certainly generated excitement and interest, recruiting success in [fiscal year 2024] was the result of a comprehensive, sustained effort,” said Cmdr. Stephanie Turo. “Our recruiters across the nation worked tirelessly to engage with communities, highlight the Navy’s diverse career opportunities, and share the stories of real sailors.”
The award citation praises Cruise for his “wide-ranging contributions” to the Navy Department from 1986 — the year the original “Top Gun” movie came out — to 2023.
“His dedicated support to our sailors, Marines, and civilians through his efforts in the film industry increased public awareness and appreciation for our highly trained personnel and the sacrifices they make while in uniform,” the citation reads. “As a result, recruitment for Navy pilots increased significantly in the late 80’s and early 90’s.”
The citation also praises Cruise for promoting recognition and public support for the Navy and Marine Corps in several of his movie roles including “Top Gun,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “A Few Good Men,” Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two.” (It should be noted that even though the villain in “A Few Good Men” is a Marine colonel, veterans have debated whether the character, Col. Nathan Jessup, is actually the hero of the story.)
The Navy has long had a connection with celebrities such as Gerard Butler and, briefly, Bill Cosby, but Cruise is unquestionably the king of the roost. The service has embraced Cruise since the first “Top Gun” movie was released nearly four decades ago. In 2023, the Navy allowed Cruise to film scenes aboard an aircraft carrier for the eighth “Mission Impossible” movie.
“Top Gun: Maverick” was the second-highest-grossing film of 2022, making nearly $1.5 billion, and it is also the most successful movie about the U.S. military in history. By way of comparison, “American Sniper” grossed about $547 million and “Saving Private Ryan” took in roughly $482 million.
“His most recent portrayal of Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick brought nostalgia to older audiences and reinvigorated the minds of newer audience members, which effectively targeted a younger audience’s interest into the skill sets and opportunities the Navy can provide,” reads the citation for Cruise’s award. “The success of this portrayal resulted in Mr. Cruise being named the U.S. Navy’s 35th Honorary Naval Aviator.”
Find the original article on Task & Purpose.
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