Marcelino Serna
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Private Marcelino Serna (April 26, 1896 – February 29, 1992) was a Mexican who enlisted as an American soldier and settled from El Paso, Texas. He became one of the most decorated soldiers from Texas in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Serna was the first
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.


Early years

Serna was born in the city of Chihuahua, in the
Mexican state A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of Chihuahua, to a poor family. In 1916, when he was 20 years old, Serna decided to enter the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by crossing the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...
and going to
El Paso, Texas El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...
, in search of a job and a better way of life. Serna did not speak English, and he was only able to find low-paying jobs. He soon found himself working as a farm hand in a
sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...
field in
Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
.Marcelino Serna
/ref> The United States declared war on
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on April 6, 1917. Serna was with a group of men in Denver when he was picked up by federal officials. He faced the possibility of being deported, but before that could happen, he volunteered to serve in the Army.


World War I

After his basic training, Serna was sent overseas and assigned to Company B, 355th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division. When the Army realized that he was a Mexican national, he was offered a discharge. Serna, however, chose to stay with his new friends. Serna's unit was ordered to advance towards the
Meuse River The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upp ...
and Argonne Forest in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. When his unit arrived at
Saint-Mihiel Saint-Mihiel () is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. Geography Saint-Mihiel lies on the banks of the river Meuse. History A Benedictine abbey was established here in 708 or 709 by Count Wulfoalde ...
, they encountered a German machine gunner who killed 13 soldiers. Serna crawled up to the machine gunner's left flank. Even though his helmet was hit twice by bullets, Serna was able to get close enough to throw four
grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...
s into the nest. Eight Germans surrendered and the rest were dead. On September 12, 1918, Serna's unit was engaged in combat inside the Meuse-Argonne region when he spotted a German
sniper A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...
and wounded him with his Enfield rifle. Serna followed the wounded soldier to a trench. He threw three grenades into the trench, which resulted in the death of 26 enemy soldiers and the capture of 24. Serna was wounded in both of his legs by sniper fire, four days before the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...
. During his recovery, General John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, pinned on his chest the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military decoration of the United States Army to the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
. Serna was told by an officer that a "'buck' private" was not eligible for the Medal of Honor, and that he could not be promoted because he did not know enough English. Private David B. Barkley, who also served in the 89th Division, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. Years later, it was discovered that Barkley was Hispanic, thus the only Hispanic recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War I. Field Marshal
Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general, Marshal of France and a member of the Académie Française and French Academy of Sciences, Académie des Sciences. He distinguished himself as Supreme Allied Commander ...
, Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, awarded Serna the
French Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during Worl ...
for bravery.


Distinguished Service Cross Citation


Later years

Serna returned to the U.S. as the most decorated soldier from Texas and was discharged at Camp Bowie, Texas in May 1919. In 1924, Serna became a
United States citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitu ...
and soon after he married and settled down in El Paso, Texas. He went to work at the Peyton Packing Company. In 1960, he retired as a plumber from
William Beaumont Hospital Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital is a nationally ranked, 1131 bed non-profit, acute care teaching hospital located in Royal Oak, Michigan, providing tertiary care and healthcare services to the Royal Oak region and Metro Detr ...
. On February 29, 1992, Marcelino Serna died at the age of 95. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, of El Paso, Texas. On January 17, 1995,
Congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
Ronald D'Emory Coleman introduced legislation before the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
that requested that Serna be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, to no avail. In 2007 at the 78th Annual LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) Convention, the following resolution was adopted by the National Assembly: Congressional Medal of Honor Recommendation for Guy Louis Gabaldon, Rafael Peralta and Marcelino Serna. On September 29, 2016, the United States designated the Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry located at 1400 Lower Island Road in
Tornillo, Texas Tornillo ( ) is a border town in El Paso County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,568 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined this Unincorporated area#United St ...
, as the "Marcelino Serna Port of Entry." In 2020 it was reported that "Private Marcelino Serna did not receive the Medal of Honor due to him being a Mexican American and an immigrant.” On March 2, 2022, Serna was awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor for his actions on September 12, 1918.


Awards and decorations

Among Serna's many military decorations are the following:According to some cited references, such a
Borderlands
Serna was awarded the "British Medal of Honor". There is not, nor has ever been, such a decoration.


See also

* Private David Bennes Barkley who also served in the 89th Division and was the only Hispanic recipient of the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
in World War I.


Notes


References

*


Further reading

*Hispanics in America's Defense Publisher: Diane Pub Co (August 1989); Language: English; ; *Hispanics in America's Defense: by Department of Defense; Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office (1990); ASIN: B000GWLOMU {{DEFAULTSORT:Serna, Marcelino United States Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) 1896 births 1992 deaths American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy) United States Army soldiers People from Chihuahua City Mexican emigrants to the United States Naturalized citizens of the United States Recipients of the Médaille militaire (France) Recipients of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor