Traveling Soldier

Words from the frontlines

“You call Donald Rumsfeld and tell him our sorry asses are ready to go home. Tell him to come spend a night in our building.” - Pfc. Matthew C. O’Dell, Third Infantry Division.

“They’re killing us. Enough is enough.” - Staff Sgt. Ray B. Robinson, Third Infantry Division.

“If you asked the soldiers, they’re ready to go home … It was a very emotional day for our guys. They’re torn up over throwing old ladies and kids out [of their houses].” - Maj. Brian Pearl, EO, 101st Airborne, Northern Iraq.

"I don't see it getting better. We can't be everywhere, can we? I feel like a cop, but I'm not a cop." - Pfc. Jacob Weber, 21.

“Every hour, this gets worse. Any foot-dragging on getting what we need here means those people are responsible for me getting shot at.” - Master Sgt. Jerry Best, Army Corps.

“I think our welcome’s worn out. We don’t even get that fake wave anymore. They just stare.” - Lt. Tom Garner of the Fourth Infantry Division remarked to his superior, Capt. Dave Gray, Tikrit.

“You are fighting a group that is in their home. If it was me and someone was to come into my home, I’d be throwing some lead downrange.” - Sgt. Joseph Denny, 25, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, Forward Operating Base Exxon, Iraq.

"It's a little sobering. When you're training for this, you joke about, you can't wait for the real thing. Then when you see it, when you see the real thing, you never want to see it again." - Capt. Sal Aaguilar, Baghdad.

"I didn't want to get shot, so I shot him first. … OK, I'm done. I'm ready to go back to Kuwait now." - Cpl. Juan B. Elenes, 21, of Portland, Ore., 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

"I've seen a car blow up and then a guy run back and grab his wife from the seat and we couldn't do anything about it. … I saw people taking pictures of dead people. I thought: That's disgusting. I asked my tank commander, 'Why are you doing that?' He said, 'If my son says he wants to join the Army, I'll show him this [photograph] and tell him this is what the Army does.' " - Spc. Jarrid Lott, 28-year-old tank driver.

"Some of the people I killed who I didn't know if they were innocent or not. That won't leave me." - Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lujan.

"Who picked them up? Who buried them? … I've reconciled myself. We did the right thing, even though it was wrong." - Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Lujan again.

“We’re more angry at the generals who are making these decisions and who never hit the ground, and who don’t get shot at or have to look at the bloody bodies and the burnt-out bodies, and the dead babies and all that kinda stuff.” - Spc. Anthony Castillo, Third Infantry Divison.

“I had to look that woman right in the eyes and I felt so horrible for her. I’ve got a little girl. … I’m fucking constantly angry over what happened with that family. [They were shot as they approached a checkpoint] ... I’m pissed off at my chain of command for not putting up signs in every language, to warn ‘em. Normally I’m a talkative guy, a happy person, … but I’ve been real quiet lately, because I’m so pissed off. I’m thinking more and more I’m so frustrated, so angry, I want to choke somebody ... constantly.” - Spc. 1st Class Bill Scates of Oklahoma City, stationed at a checkpoint in Baghdad.