Roseburg National Cemetery

First woman bugler in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs), .  During her time in the #Army, Smith was responsible for Reveille. She served in #WWII from 1942 to 1943 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Smith filled the role of bugler for 13 years, playing at hundreds of burials for Veterans after she and her late husband retired in Sutherlin, Oregon. In 2022, she played at 108 funerals with an average of three a week, sometimes on the same day and back-to-back. She quit playing at age 86, due to asthma.

In 1997, Smith was invited to Washington, D.C., to play with the U.S. Army for the dedication of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. The memorial stands at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery.


DONNA MAE SMITH

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