Pvt Donald C Coppersmith
Service# 36224913 
82nd & 17th Airborne/507th PIR
HQ 2nd Battalion
Pvt Coppersmith was born in October 1921 in Wisconsin and died on 
Wednesday July 5, 1944 of wounds incurred during the Airborne invasion of 
Normandy.
Pvt Coppersmith is the son of  Clarence Coppersmith [ b. 1898 in Wisconsin and 
died 1960] a worker at the Northern Paper Mill and a WW1 soldier and the son 
of  Margaret Coppersmith [b.6-29-1900 in Chicago, Ill and died unknown].
The 1930 US Census for Green Bay, Brown County, Wisconsin show 
Donald residing at #815 Irvin Ave, Green Bay with his parents and brother, 
Darrell Coppersmith [b.1928 in Wisconsin].Pvt Coppersmith also has a sister, 
Yvonne[b 8-14-1933 in Wisconsin]
Pvt Coppersmith attended East High School, Green Bay where he excelled 
at Baseball, Football and basketball. Prior to his service Donald was 
employed at the Northern Papermill.
Pvt Coppersmith enlisted in the Army on May 5, 1942 at Milwaukee, WI. 
The enlistment record indicates the Pvt Coppersmith completed 4 years of 
high-school and was single. Donald was 5'7'' and 132lbs
Pvt Coppersmith later married Marie Ferry, no children were born of this 
marriage.
During Operation Neptune, June 6 1944 Pvt Coppersmith parachuted from 
his C-47 Troop Transport aircraft with Tail#292874, Chalk#13, #12 in the 
Drop Line.
On July 4th/5th Pvt Coppersmith and a handful of other 507th soldiers were 
awaiting departure to England and were picking strawberries in a French 
farm field, the Germans attacked, Coppersmith and his fellow soldiers 
moved towards and took out a German machine gun nest, Coppersmith than 
ran to the machine gun and was shot and killed before he got  to it.
Pvt Coppersmith was awarded the Purple Heart Medal,  Silver Star , Bronze 
Star and the Croix de Guerre Unit Citation  [French] the European-African-
Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star and Arrowhead, 
the World War II Victory Medal, the WWII Honorable Service Lapel Button, 
Parachute Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Presidential 
Distinguished Unit Emblem 
Pvt Coppersmith is interred at the Normandy American Cemetery at 
Colleville-sur-Mer, France at   Plot 'A'  Row '14'  Grave '34'.