I will be purchasing a new bike in the next few days, and i will be using this bike for road riding and triathlons. I was told by a guy at my last triathlon to get a slightly smaller bike so i would be able to use the aero bars easier. Is there any truth to this, or should i stick with my normal sized bike?

Tough to say. Most pro road racers use frames that are on the small end of their spectrum. A smaller frame puts the rider in a more aggressive geometry.

For most people, aggressive can also translate to "uncomfortable." Whether its worth getting a size down from what your hypothetical "perfect fit" is depends on your goals, your level of training, flexibility, etc, and pain tolerance.

Since you have USMC at the end of your name, clearly pain tolerance is a non-issue. Semper Fi.

Yes Pain used to be a non issue, but after several years in the corps and multiple deployments i tend to hurt after a long ride. I guess my question is really that hard to use the aero bars on a bike that is properly fit.