 He was also a member of the Buffalo Soldiers ' drum and bugle corps , and performed at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery , where he himself would later be buried . Since the Army would not allow colored soldiers to be seen at white funerals at this time , he was forced to hide in the woods while playing " Taps " . A decade later , he fought in World War II and saw combat action at the Battle of Saipan in the South Pacific . During the conflict , he rose to the rank of First Sergeant . He had originally been sent to train with the Tuskegee Airmen , but was deemed to be too old at the time . 
