Willis Offers $1 Million Saddam Bounty

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday September 26, 2003 01:00 PM EDT

Bruce Willis performed Thursday night in front of American soldiers in Telafar, northern Iraq, about 36 miles from the Syrian border, and he offered $1 million as a reward for the capture of Saddam Hussein, reports the Associated Press.

"We're here to support you," the star said, with hundreds of troops (some sitting atop grounded helicopters) watching as he sang a set of blues songs with his band, the Accelerator.

"If you catch him, just give me four seconds with Saddam Hussein," the "Die Hard" actor said.

Next up, Willis, 45, reportedly will fly south to visit U.S. soldiers in Tikrit -- Saddam's hometown -- before performing two concerts for troops in neighboring Kuwait.

"It's awesome," commander Col. Michael Linnington told AP about the appearance of Willis. "It's great for morale. He's a macho actor. Soldiers identify with action movies and action actors. He's a guy's guy."

During an interview, Willis said: "Peculiar thing back home is that the liberal media was trying to portray it as a bad war. But being over here just a couple of days, seeing how well our troops and the allied troops are being received here, (I) think the Iraqi people are happy we're here.

"Children are being taken care of, starting being inoculated, starting being looked after," he added. "Wherever these guys go they get thumbs up. They no longer have to contend with the terrorist leader."

Willis also admitted that he had not met many Iraqis because he had been traveling the country by helicopter.

Besides Willis, other celebrities on the recent USO roster have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alyssa Milano, Kid Rock, the rock band New Found Glory, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens and Brittany Murphy, among others.