Tom Cruise gets a top U.S Navy honor for boosting the military with his screen roles

LONDON (AP) — The world’s most famous fictional Top Gun is now a decorated naval hero.

Tom Cruise was awarded the U.S. Navy’s top civilian honor on Tuesday for “outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps” with “Top Gun” and other films.

Cruise, who has been working in the U.K., was given the Distinguished Public Service Award by U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in a ceremony at Longcross Studios near London.

The 62-year-old actor said he was proud to receive the “extraordinary acknowledgement,” which came with a medal and a certificate.

“I admire all of the servicemen and women,” Cruise said. “I know in life, something that is very true to me, is that is to lead is to serve. And I know that to my core. And I see that in the servicemen and women.”

The navy said Cruise had “increased public awareness and appreciation for our highly trained personnel and the sacrifices they make while in uniform.”

“Top Gun,” the smash hit 1986 movie about Cold War flying aces, made Cruise a star and drove a spike in military enlistment. The Navy even set up recruitment tables in theaters.

Interest was renewed with the 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which Cruise’s character mentored a new generation of elite aviators.

The navy said the sequel “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.”

Cruise was also commended for his roles in “Born on the Fourth of July,” “A Few Good Men” and the “Mission: Impossible” movies.

Cruise’s next on-screen adventure, “Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” is due for release in May 2025.

Tom Cruise attends a ceremony as he receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise, right, receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise, right, receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise, right, receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise attends a ceremony as he receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise, right, receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise smiles as he receives a Navy Distinguished Public Service Award from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presents at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tom Cruise poses with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award received from The United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, at the Longcross South Studios, in Runnymede, Surrey, England, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LONDON (AP) — European Union privacy watchdogs hit Facebook owner Meta with fines totaling 251 million euros on Monday after an investigation into a 2018 data breach on the social media platform that exposed millions of accounts.

Ireland's Data Protection Commission issued the penalties after wrapping up its inquiry into the breach, when hackers gained access to user accounts by exploiting bugs in the platform’s code that allowed them to steal digital keys, known as “access tokens.”

Under the 27-nation EU’s strict privacy regime, the Irish watchdog is Meta's lead privacy regulator because the company's regional headquarters are based in Dublin.

The watchdog issued reprimands and “administrative penalties” worth 251 million euros ($264 million) after it found multiple infringements of the rules, known as the General Data Protection Regulation.

The company said it would appeal the decision.

“This decision relates to an incident from 2018. We took immediate action to fix the problem as soon as it was identified,” Meta said in a statement. The company said it “proactively informed people impacted” as well as the Irish watchdog.

When it first disclosed the problem, Facebook said 50 million user accounts were affected. But the actual number was around 29 million, including 3 million in Europe, the Irish watchdog said Tuesday.

The company has said that after discovering the bug, it alerted the FBI and regulators in the U.S. and Europe.

The hack involved three distinct bugs in Facebook’s “View As” feature, which let people see how their profiles appear to others. The attackers used the vulnerability to steal access tokens from the accounts of people whose profiles came up in searches using the “View As” feature. The attack then moved from one user’s Facebook friend to another. Possession of those tokens would allow attackers to control those accounts.

FILE - Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)