Tom Cruise gets award for boosting recruitment to US Navy thanks to Top Gun

Tom Cruise, the star of the Top Gun movie franchise, has been recognised with an award thanks to the films' role in boosting recruitment to the US Navy.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presented Mr Cruise with the Distinguished Public Service Award during a ceremony at the Longcross Film Studios in Chertsey, Surrey.

The Navy Distinguished Public Service Award is the highest honour which civilians can receive.

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It is presented by the Secretary of the Navy to honour individuals who have carried out acts of valour, heroism or have "demonstrated exceptionally outstanding service of substantial and long-term benefit to the Navy, Marine Corps or the Department of the Navy as a whole".

Mr Del Toro said Top Gun had significantly increased recruitment numbers since its release in 1986, with the sequel, Top Gun Maverick, coming out in 2022.

Mr Cruise hailed the work done by pilots when he spoke to BFBS Forces News at the time of Maverick's premiere.

"I really admire what they do," he said.

"When I was a little kid, I wanted to make movies. I wanted to fly airplanes, I wanted to go parachuting, create stories and characters, and travel the world."

BFBS Forces News also tracked down a member of the US Air Force's 480th Fighter Squadron to find out his take on how realistic the Top Gun films were.