1. Private Marcelino Serna was a Mexican who enlisted as an American soldier and settled from El Paso, Texas.
20 Facts About Marcelino Serna
1. 2.
Marcelino Serna became one of the most decorated soldiers from Texas in World War I Serna was the first Hispanic to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
3.
In 1916, when he was 20 years old, Marcelino Serna decided to enter the United States by crossing the Rio Grande and going to El Paso, Texas, in search of a job and a better way of life.
4.
Marcelino Serna did not speak English, and he was only able to find low-paying jobs.
5.
Marcelino Serna soon found himself working as a farm hand in a sugar beet field in Denver, Colorado.
6.
Marcelino Serna was with a group of men in Denver when he was picked up by federal officials.
7.
Marcelino Serna faced the possibility of being deported, but before that could happen, he volunteered to serve in the Army.
8.
Marcelino Serna's unit was ordered to advance towards the Meuse River and Argonne Forest in France.
9.
On September 12,1918, Marcelino Serna's unit was engaged in combat inside the Meuse-Argonne region when he spotted a German sniper and wounded him with his Enfield rifle.
10.
Marcelino Serna threw three grenades into the trench, which resulted in the death of 26 enemy soldiers and the capture of 24.
11.
Marcelino Serna was wounded in both of his legs by sniper fire, four days before the Armistice.
12.
Marcelino 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.
13.
Private Marcelino Serna displayed exceptional coolness and courage in single handed charging and capturing 24 Germans.
14.
Marcelino Serna returned to the US as the most decorated soldier from Texas and was discharged at Camp Bowie, Texas in May 1919.
15.
In 1924, Marcelino Serna became a United States citizen and soon after he married and settled down in El Paso, Texas.
16.
Marcelino Serna went to work at the Peyton Packing Company.
17.
On February 29,1992, Marcelino Serna died at the age of 95.
18.
Marcelino Serna was buried with full military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, of El Paso, Texas.
19.
On January 17,1995, Congressman Ronald D'Emory Coleman introduced legislation before the House of Representatives that requested that Marcelino Serna be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, to no avail.
20.
On March 2,2022, Marcelino Serna was awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor for his actions on September 12,1918.