Annetta “Netta” Ware Smith was born January 29, 1931 in Elizabeth, New Jersey to William C. and Cordelia Ware of Lexington, Kentucky. Annetta joined the United States Air Force in 1951. Netta took basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. After basic training, she was stationed at Brooksfield Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for 18 months. From there, she went to Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming for technical training as a teletype operator. With this training, she was sent to Tokyo Japan for 2 years. She then returned to Offutt AFB in Omaha, Nebraska where she was honorably discharged in 1954 after serving four years in the Air Force.

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Annetta was a member of the National Association of Black Military Women (NABMW), American Legion Post 368, Chapter member of Women in Military Service Association (WIMSA) and she volunteered for 5 years with the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey.

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The National Association of Black Military Women recognizes and honors the life and military service of Annetta Ware Smith.