BRUCE WILLIS TELLS RITA COSBY HE WILL OFFER $1 MILLION TO ANY CIVILIAN WHO
TURNS
IN OSAMA BIN LADEN, AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI OR ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI
Secaucus, NJ -
November 11, 2005 -- In an interview that aired last night on MSNBC's "Rita
Cosby: Live and Direct" (9 p.m. ET), actor Bruce Willis told Cosby he would
offer one million dollars to any civilian who would turn in Osama bin Laden,
Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Willis talks to Cosby about his
support for embedded blogger Michael
Yon, and the actor says he is in talks about a possible film about the Deuce
Four, the soldiers Yon is embedded with in Iraq.
Following is the complete
transcript of the interview. .
Hat tip Judith, Kesher Talk
********
COSBY: Getting stories out of Iraq is not easy. Bruce Willis found
that out firsthand when he went over to visit U.S. troops serving in Armed
Forces.
Tonight, we are rejoined by an independent blogger who is bringing
back some amazing pictures and stories from Iraq, Michael Yon. And also again
with us is actor Bruce Willis, who is back with us on the phone.
It's great
to have both of you here. You know, Bruce, I want to start with you. Last night,
we talked a little bit about what's happening over in Iraq. You said the media
isn't covering the full story. What are we missing?
BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: I
am baffled to understand why the things that I saw happening in Iraq, really
good things happening in Iraq, are not being reported on.
Michael has been
over there, was embedded with the members of the Deuce Four, you know, the
battalion that actually won the battle for Mosul, that -- Michael, correct me if
I'm wrong -- these are the guys who allowed the election to take place, the
election that happened just, you know, a couple months ago, to take place, which
is, you know, just a monumental thing. And it's not being reported on.
COSBY: You know, Bruce, you know, let's face it. A lot of celebrities have
not been over there. A lot of folks in Hollywood have been very critical of
what's happening in the war. Do you think, if a lot of your colleagues in
Hollywood went over there, saw it for themselves, they'd have a different
opinion?
WILLIS: I absolutely think that. I think we live in a global world.
And I think that -- I think America is just too isolationist.
And a lot of
big choices are being made. You know, to say this is not our fight, when this is
the same fight that this country fought 60 years ago and the entire world fought
60 years ago, for the same kind of terrorism, the same kind of thing.
This
is not a new war. This is not a new kind of fighting. This is the same fight.
And it's back. And it's time for it to stop.
COSBY: You know, we've seen
some of these amazing pictures that we're showing here.
You know, Michael,
there's a photo I want to show of a soldier and a baby girl, in particular. Here
it is. Why is this photo so meaningful, Michael?
MICHAEL YON, EMBEDDED
BLOGGER: Well, I shot that photo on a day when a suicide or homicide car bomber
ran into one of our Stryker vehicles, injured a couple of our soldiers, and,
unfortunately, there were a lot of children who had crowded around to wave at
our people.
And the attackers had every opportunity to just wait a couple of
blocks and attack our guys later, without the children being around, but instead
chose to attack straight through the children.
And Major Bieger, who is in
the photo, found the little girl -- her name is Farah -- and decided he wanted
to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
And so he picked her up,
wrapped her in a blanket, and loaded her into one of our vehicles and started to
take her to the hospital as fast as possible. And unfortunately, little Farah
died en route.
We went back to that neighborhood the next day, and the
people there actually welcomed us with open arms. They welcomed us into their
homes.
We got into a firefight there again the next day. And the people in
that part of the city began to give us more and more information about the
terrorists until it got to the point where -- it's very dangerous to be a
terrorist now in Mosul, because...
COSBY: You know, it's incredible to hear
these stories, Michael. I mean, it's amazing what you went through firsthand.
And, you know, Bruce, you know, as you're hearing these stories from
Michael, I understand why your jaw just dropped when you saw these pictures.
Are you thinking, maybe at some point, you know, playing a role with the
Deuce Four? Is that something maybe you'd consider?
WILLIS: We are talking
about that right now. But it's not really about the film. It's about these guys.
It's about these guys who do what they are asked to do for very little money
to defend and fight for what they consider to be freedom.
And it's not just
for this country. It's for the world. It is time for terrorism to stop. And the
United States is the country that can stop it. And that's what they're doing
over there.
And there is -- I have no idea why this country is not getting
the information that Michael Yon has, you know, access to, is, you know, showing
people. It's just not getting out, and it's baffling.
COSBY: You know,
Bruce, in 2003, you admirably offered $1 million for the capture of Saddam. I
have to ask you, because just last night we had on our show so many of those
pictures, those horrific pictures of what happened in Jordan.
And right now,
we've got three thorns in our side. We've got Zawahiri, of course, who is Osama
bin Laden`s right-hand guy. You've got Osama bin Laden himself. And then you've
got al-Zarqawi, the Iraqi who everyone believes is behind the mastermind of the
attack, just those horrible attacks on three hotels just last night.
Are you
prepared even right now to maybe offer $1 million for one of them?
WILLIS:
Well, that was a conversation I was having with members of the military. I've
since been told that military men and women cannot accept any reward for the job
that they're doing. It was more about my passion for trying to stop Saddam
Hussein.
COSBY: Would you offer that if somebody else, let's say a civilian,
is willing to turn one of them in and finally put this to an end?
WILLIS:
Yes, I would. Yes, I would.
I want to live in a world, and so do the Iraqi
people want to live in a world, where they can move from their homes to the
market and not have to fear being killed. And, I mean, doesn't everybody want
that? Who doesn't want that?
COSBY: You bet.
And, Michael, I'm going to
give you just a few seconds. What are you most proud of? I mean, your pictures
just really show the heart and soul there.
YON: I'd actually like to say
something about Bruce Willis. He's one of the men who has had the courageous to
stand behind the troops. And the troops absolutely respect and love Bruce
Willis.
He came out to the Deuce Four redeployment ball in Seattle. And I
wonder if he realizes just how much they appreciated that. And it's just so good
to see a man of his stature throwing his entire weight behind our people who are
in harm's way.
COSBY: It's terrific.
WILLIS: Thank you so much, Michael.
COSBY: And hats off to both of you guys, not just Bruce. And, Bruce, thank
you so much for being with us.
And, Michael, keep up the great work you're
doing. Those pictures are amazing. And please come back, both of you, anytime.
Thank you.
WILLIS: Thanks very much. Keep it up, Mike.
YON: Thanks,
Bruce.
WILLIS: OK, buddy.
COSBY: Thank you guys very much.
YON: Bye,
Rita.
COSBY: Thank you.
