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Bruce Willis has a German mother and an American soldier, as father. Bruce Willis has publicly shown his support for the United States armed forces in numerous occasions. In 2003, Bruce Willis visited Iraq as part of the USO tour, singing to the troops with his band, The Accelerators. Some reports from military officials suggest that Bruce Willis tried to enlist in the military to help fight the second Iraq war, but he was turned away because of his age. Bruce Willis has also criticized the media for its coverage of the war, complaining that the press were more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the war:
“ I went to Iraq because what I saw when I was over there was soldiers — young kids for the most part — helping people in Iraq; helping getting the power turned back on, helping get hospitals open, helping get the water turned back on and you don't hear any of that on the news. You hear, 'X number of people were killed today,' which I think does a huge disservice. It's like spitting on these young men and women who are over there fighting to help this country.”
Bruce Willis has said that he wants to "make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy."