When I walked into Iraq veteran Eric Trinidad's West Haven apartment, I knew the best way to tell his story in my New Haven Register column (see the March 11 Sunday Register), was to just let him talk about what it's really like "over there" (Iraq). Because the rest of us don't have a clue.
And he opened up, to his credit, knowing this is something we need to hear. I'm repeating some of his earlier quotes I used, or adding some of his words, since there wasn't enough space in my column to include it all.
When he told me he thinks we've been in Iraq too long and it's time to start withdrawing our troops, he quickly said, "Most of the people who think I'm wrong have never been there. People say, 'What about honor?' What is honor when your best friend, 18 years old, loses his life?"
And why does he have those horrible flashbacks and nightmares? Listen: "Stuff you did over there you'll think about always. But you had to do it; it's split-second decisions. War changes a man. It does."
When I asked why he thinks it's time to start withdrawing, he replied, "You go to the VA now, all you see is kids. I see more and more kids. A lot of people forget about the war. But people are still over there, dying every day.
"I know Marines have been doing four or five tours of duty. I don't think that's fair. It gets to the point where enough is enough."
Then I asked him what he would say to President Bush if he could talk with him face to face. "I think I would start crying. I would say, just, 'Why? Why did my friends die? What's the purpose? Why is it taking so long to find Osama? We're the most effective nation in the world, we're the best. It's so embarrassing that we can't find one guy.'"
But then he said, "I'm just a number for him (Bush). I think sometimes they forget about us. I can't wait for this war to be over. It's just not making any sense. At the beginning, it did. We got Saddam out. But now, too many people are dying. Is it worth it? Is it worth raising the number of troops?"
The most searing, memorable thing he said was this: "A lot of wounds are not visible. People say that you have no scars on you. There are a lot of scars in my heart. There are a lot of scars in my soul."