"They [the Soviet Army] did wonderful things. They were extremely vital," Burge said.
The commemoration ceremony was held on Friday at the National World War II Memorial, and was attended by WWII veterans, as well as US and foreign officials.
"This is a very important day for me. I am almost 91 years old. I never expected to live this long. I am just very happy to be here," Burge said.
The Soviet Union WWII casualties are estimated to have exceeded 27 million. The number of military casualties exceeded 8.7 million, making up more than a half of the total allied casualties.
On May 9, Moscow hosted a large military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nazi Germany's defeat. The event was the biggest Russian military parade ever held, with about 16,500 troops and almost 200 units of military hardware participating.
