SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — To most people, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer with boating, barbecues and beer dominating many gatherings. But to 99-year-old Warren Musch, it's more than that.

Musch served in the United States Marine Corps in World War II. He enlisted as the war broke out, specializing in combat intelligence. By 1945, he was standing on the shores of Iwo Jima in the Pacific — a world away from the rural fields of Cass County.

"I could touch a dead Marine with either hand," Musch said. "That was my awakening."

The memories from Iwo Jima are like the sand on its beaches — dark and coarse. Musch still remembers much of his time there, knowing he was lucky to have more time left than most.

"My battalion had 70 percent casualties," he said. "Seven out of ten were killed...and I was one of the three that weren't."

Musch was 23 when he landed on those dark, sandy shores. A young man by most standards, he half-jokingly notes he was the "old man" of his unit. For he and many of his men, Iwo Jima was the first combat they'd see. For many, it would also be their last.

Musch got lucky — and he knows it.

"I started to raise up and for some reason, I stopped," he said. "As I stopped, a machine gun knocked back sand in my face six inches above my head. If I raised up, I wouldn't be here today."

Many people know Iwo Jima from one iconic image — the flag raising on Mount Suribachi as six Marines raised the American flag on the mountain's summit.

Musch knows it from a different angle as he ran across the island's sprawling, flat jungles. His job was to relay intelligence from outpost to outpost — risking his life with each step. He once again got lucky.

"I stepped down [from the lookout tower]," Musch said looking back. "[One of my fellow Marines] took my place and...a sniper got him between the eyes. He brushed me as he went down. In a matter of 10 or 15 seconds, it would've been me instead of him."

That fellow Marine was one of 6,821 U.S. troops killed in that battle alone. In total, more than 400,000 men died serving in World War II.

Musch wasn't one of them. He returned home to Illinois to his wife and started a family. Now 99, he still reflects on his time spent serving — understanding Memorial Day isn't about grilling and boat or even him. It's about the men he served with who didn't come home.

"They gave their life so that myself and many, many others can have the freedom that we now have today," he said.