ALBANY - About 230 Green County veterans and their spouses attended the annual veterans appreciation dinner Saturday at the Albany Lions Club to talk with friends, eat a lunch and share memories.

Nelson Miller, 83, Albany, was typical of the many veterans who attended the dinner. He had a story to tell about his time in the military.

The lunch gathering took place just a few days before the national observance of Veterans Day, Thursday.

At the age of 18, in March 1945, Miller was drafted into the United States Army. The fighting in Europe was almost over and he was sent to Germany after he completed basic training.

"I was told I was going to drive a truck because I had hauled milk," he said. "I had two days to learn how to drive a semi."

Miller said he saw people struggling to survive during the two years he was stationed in Germany. The war had destroyed most of the country and people didn't have many of the basic necessities.

"You didn't really know what they were going through until you got there," he said.

The American soldiers also had to deal with a population raised to hate and distrust other people.

"We had some trouble at first, but once we were there for a while the people treated us pretty good," he said.

Like other veterans, Miller completed his military service and returned home.

He returned from the service in 1947. He married his wife Anna 57 years ago, they raised a family and he went to work for General Motors for the next 32 years.

He said there was something special about getting together with other veterans, regardless of when or how long they served in the military.

"Veterans are veterans," Miller said. "We all served the same purpose."