For Tampa Vet, War in Iraq Will Never End

Posted Dec 15, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Dec 15, 2011 at 11:52 PM

Hours after the pomp and circumstance of ceremonies marking the end of the war in Iraq, Ryan Fournier sits on a black chair in the nearly empty living room of a small three-bedroom apartment and talks about the nightmare.

During a savage firefight on his first tour of duty in Iraq, Fournier watched as a machine gunner on a Humvee was blistering insurgents in an alley, “dicing them up pretty good.” Then a little boy ran out.

“A 50 caliber bullet hit him in the side,” says Fournier.

He makes a big circle with his index fingers and thumbs.

“It left a gaping hole in his back,” says Fournier. “He made a gurgling noise. I dream about him all the time. He just lays there, staring at me.”

Fournier is one of 1.5 million U.S. military members to have served in Iraq. As the Pentagon declares the war over, it still rages on for Fournier and his family.

You can read more about Fournier and his struggles tomorrow in The Tampa Tribune.