An Army veteran from Suffolk County is sharing his war survival story this Memorial Day weekend.

WWII veteran Santo Squillacioti was a paratrooper who jumped out of an airplane into enemy territory to fight in the Battle of the Bulge.

The 96-year-old from Smithtown says he fought for several weeks in the 101st Airborne.

"It was winter time, snowy, foggy, they had white sheets on them, the Germans, you couldn't see them,” he recalls.

Thousands died during the battle and Squillacioti says he was one of few survivors. He says toward the end, mortar shells came down like rain and American bombers ended the battle.

He says he still gets emotional when talking about the war, and says he would volunteer again.

"I wanted to protect this county. And I still want to protect it,” he says.