(On May 7, 1945, Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allied forces. The next day, at the insistence of the Soviets, Germany signed a second surrender document in Berlin, known as the victory of European anniversary, or VeDay.

Although World War II is not over yet - Japan continues to fight the United States and its allies in the Pacific, Germany's vote marks a critical moment for the U.S. forces fighting Nazi forces on the mainland.

Harry Miller Soldier In the 740th Tank Battalion, his unit received news in the lakeside town of Schwerin, northern Germany.

"Some of us lay down and sleep," he recalled. "Some of us patted each other on the back. Some shook hands. Some couldn't believe it."

Now 96, who lives in the retirement home of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., Miller shared his story with NPR, the 80th anniversary of the most critical period of World War II.

Miller grew up in Columbus, Ohio during the Great Depression, participating in local military parades, including veterans of the Civil War and World War. “I always wanted to be with them and for some reason I just couldn’t get over this service,” he said.

He joined the military at the age of 15, told recruiters that he was older and received basic training in Fort Knox, Kentucky, before being sent to former Fort California. From there, Miller was sent to France in the fall of 1944 and spent some time moving between the missions of France and Belgium.

Miller's unit Play a key role In the largest and bloodiest battle ever, the U.S. military began with the Battle of Rise in December 1944.

Miller said that in Stormont, Belgium, soldiers pieced together several M4 Sherman tanks and an M36 tank destroyer. One day in late December, the U.S. military encountered three vehicles from the First SS Panzer Division and destroyed them. The Germans retreated.

"The word says we were a tough little dress because in the first half hour of the fight we stopped the first SS armored aircraft, which was a deal, so we suddenly became very famous," he said. "I was even more surprised than anything because it was awful to know that the condition of those tanks was what we put together."

The 740th Tank Battalion crossed the dangerous Sigfried Line ( Specific obstacles The teeth known as dragons. It also violates the fence of the barbed wire WöbbelinMiller said this was a sub-training camp for the Neuengamme concentration camp discovered on May 2, 1945 by the U.S. military.

Germany surrendered to its allies on May 7.

He said: "I went in when I was 15, and I was 16 in the bulge. The war was over. Two months later, I was 17. I never regretted a day."

Miller deals with the severity of the war by maintaining a sense of humor and finding his own joy. "I found you can walk around with your frustrated face, and you can see the humor in things," he said.

This does not mean ignoring the cruelty around you. After the war, Miller spent three years in Europe, allowing him to connect with his colleagues and meet at night to agree with their experience. "You're talking about everything that bothers people, and I've found that it's all gone," he said. "You can see some comedy, too, but you have to say it."

One aspect that still makes Miller emotional is the memory of the concentration camp. After the war, he visited Dachau concentration camp and noticed grey residues on the crematorium floor. "I realized it was the ashes of the people they burned in the oven, and I fell down. I cried like a baby," he said. "There was there, I might be walking on about thousands of corpses or parts of people, and without knowing that it really suddenly attracted me."

Miller continued to serve in the Korean War, and later he joined the Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. He retired as a senior sergeant in 1966.

Today, Miller said he likes to share his own stories to help others understand the futility of war and hopes to inspire them to prevent similar conflicts from happening again.

"I hope people can see all this in vain because looking at Germany. Looking at Japan. Looking at Vietnam. Looking at South Korea." "Everything is beautiful now, it can keep it that way, but no, we have to start a war."