Hollywood Megastar Fires Up 101st Soldiers [Bruce Willis in Mosul]

DoD - ^ | Sept. 26, 2003 | Pfc. Thomas Day

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Megastar Bruce Willis arrives in Mosul, Iraq to entertain coalition forces. U.S. Army photo.
Hollywood Megastar Fires Up 101st Soldiers
By Pfc. Thomas Day / 40th Public Affairs Detachment
MOSUL, Iraq, Sept. 26, 2003 — Silver screen star Bruce Willis and his blues band visited the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Northern Iraq Sept. 25. The 101st stop was just one in a number of goodwill visits on the “Bruce Willis and the Accelerators Touch of Home Tour” this week. “I didn’t see enough people coming out here and supporting the troops,” said Willis, who was born on a military base in Germany in 1955. Willis’ visit was the 101st’s first goodwill visit from a Hollywood celebrity. “Back home, the news is manipulated … by people who would like the American people to believe the war is unpopular. It’s not unpopular, especially with the Iraqi indigenous people that are being helped,” Willis said. “This is the War on Terrorism, it’s worth fighting for.” The “Hart’s War” and “Tears of the Sun” actor, both films that deal with the military, clearly enjoyed himself playing in front of the audience of homesick soldiers. “I wanted to sign up and fight with you guys, but they told me I was too old,” he quipped. Willis also used some colorful language when describing what he would do if he had “four minutes with Saddam.” Willis ate a late lunch with Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, the top 101st Airborne Division enlisted soldier, before flying around the division’s area of operation in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to meet the “Screaming Eagles.” The busy day ended for Willis and his band after a one-hour concert in front of several hundred 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne soldiers in Tall Afar. Actor Bruce Willis looks out of a CH-47 helicopter after landing at a 101st Airborne Division compound.U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Thomas Day, 40th Public Affairs Detachment	Actor Bruce Willis performs with his blues band "Bruce Willis and the Accelerators" in front of an audience of 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division soldiers. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Thomas Day, 40th Public Affairs Detachment Col. Michael Linnington, 3rd Brigade commander, introduced Willis before his band’s set and afterwards presented him with a 101st Airborne Division flag. Willis also dawned Linnington’s desert uniform top for the show after the brigade commander’s name and rank were appropriately removed. Willis left after his performance with a simple message for the 101st soldiers: “Stay safe and God bless you all.”

[colorado tanker]

Even though the Dwarves are making it so, the war against terror should not be a party issue. I salute Bruce Willis.

BTW, Tears of the Sun is an outstanding, although hard to watch, movie. If you want to understand the tribal warfare that plagues sub-Saharan Africa and how we keep getting sucked into it, watch that movie. Outstanding action scenes, also, of course.

[4everontheRight]

Bruce Willis is a major hunkie and a good guy too!
Man-o-man!!!

[Dr. Scarpetta]

a well-deserved BUMP to Bruce

[Green Knight]

Yours is the first opinion I've seen on the movie. So it was a good movie, huh? Though I thought it looked good in ads, I've never seen it. Normally I don't let box office success, or lack thereof, affect my decision as to whether to watch a movie. But after the things I heard about Hart's War, and seeing Tears of the Sun not doing well, I was worried that it might be a less than stellar movie.

I just checked Rotten Tomatoes, and it only has a 35% rating. However, I looked at some of the review headlines and got the following gems:

"Three Kings had something to say about the self-serving double standards of American diplomacy. Tears is (just) action-movie propaganda with simulated pseudo-substance."

""Tears of the Sun" has some good moments, including the intense ambulatory trek out of Nigeria. But the blind patriotism we are spoon-fed towards the end makes this film a little hard to swallow."

"Just in time for the U.S. invasion of Iraq comes 'Tears of the Sun,' a glossy but fraudulent promotion for America's revived role as global policeman."

"'Tears of the Sun is great PR for United States foreign policy and its military. Colin Powell and Donald Rumsfeld could not have crafted a more pro-United States script, nor could they have hoped for a more valorous portrayal of its soldiers.'"

This guy sounds like he's disappointed that the US soldiers weren't portrayed as baby-killing rapists.

"Will a thinking audience really buy the image of helpless, grateful people bestowing kisses and victory songs upon Willis as the representative of all things American: power, guts, compassion?"

Considering the reaction of the Iraqi people to our troops, I'd buy that.

"Like most politicians and some columnists, the script kindly spares us any historical context or confusing detail."

And here's one of the POSITIVE ones!

"What's noteworthy is that Tears is simultaneously a gripping action tale and a plea for a policy of engagement, of humanitarian intervention, in parts of the world where oil is not at stake."

Geeze. Ya think these reviews might be a BIT biased?

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

Classic Wills line, "God left Africa a long time ago."

The film is not a drum beater for the goodness of America. Wills leads a SOF group to save a doctor working at a Christian mission in the middle of a tribal war. It is a delima picture. Does he follow orders or "do the right thing?" The rest of the picture is devoted to the consequences of "doing the right thing." I found it entertaining but then I'm a keyboard commando. You want war reality try the first minutes of Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers or Black Hawk Down.

I saw a comprhensive DVD on Black Hawk Down at Best Buy. Has the movie, and two TV documentries on it. One of the documentaries was by the PBS American Experience group which I remember as being pretty good.

Guess I'll have to get a DVD player.

NEVER FORGET

[MEG33]

People were making snide remarks about NBC's hotel being hit and I said Bob Arnot is one of the good guys..His reports have been great.I just heard a good report on ,gasp,CNN about training border guards on the Iraq/Iran border.They said they should do more reports like that...on Saturdays(too busy with the bad news during the week?)

[blackie]

Bruce Willis ~ one of the good guys!

[blackie]

""Geeze. Ya think these reviews might be a BIT biased?"

I have the DVD and enjoy it!

[najida]

I was a BW fan before this but now,
Wow,
Nice to know that he as character too!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thank you for your service, Eagle
~ and for your song link:

...I’m sorry that I chose
To leave this little note
Instead of a long kiss goodbye
I need you to be strong for our little Maggie and me
And some days look up at the sky (with her)

For if I don’t return know my love will still burn
And live in the rays of the sun
And I’ll whisper through the clouds
I did my duty for America
And all of the families to come

No I don’t control where they tell me to go
But I sure do believe in the cause
For you and for her and the country I serve
I sure do believe in the cause.
~~~

[101st-Eagle]

Thank you for the appreciation of the lyrics RG and you are welcome for the link...

[colorado tanker]

Geeze. Ya think these reviews might be a BIT biased?

LOL!

I won't say Tears of the Sun is a great war movie, like, say, We Were Soldiers, but I thought it was very good. But it is unabashedly pro-American, pro-Seal, pro-intervention and anti-diplomatic-niceties. Plus the movie is very frank that African tribal warfare often involves attacks by muslims on Christians. I'm not surprised by the bad reviews, in fact I'm surprised Willis could get the movie made at all in this Hollywood environment.

Get the DVD version, which has some interesting interviews about how the movie got made and about the tribal warfare over much of Africa.