Private Marcelino Serna was born in the city of Chihuahua, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, to a poor family. In 1916, when he was 20 years old, Serna decided to enter the US, by crossing the Rio Grande and going to El Paso, Texas in search of a job and better way of life. Serna, did not know how to speak English and could only find employment that paid low wages. It wasn’t long before he found himself working as a farm hand in a sugar beet field in Denver, Colorado.
The United States declared war on Germany 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 deportation for being an undocumented alien, and before that could happen, he volunteered to serve in the US Army. After his basic training, Serna landed in France with Co. B, 355th Inf. 89th Division. When the Army realized that he was a Mexican National, he was offered a discharge. Serna, however refused and chose to stay.
At St. Mihiel, Serna single-handedly took out an enemy machinegun position (even though his helmet was hit twice with bullets). Serna was able to get close enough to throw four grenades into the nest. Eight Germans surrendered and the rest in the nest were dead.
On September 12, 1918, Serna’s unit was engaged in combat in the Meuse-Argonne region when he spotted a German sniper and wounded him with his Enfield rifle. Serna then followed the wounded soldier to a trench. He single-handedly killed 26 enemy soldiers and captured 24 prisoners.
For his actions, Pvt. Serna was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Serna was told by an officer that “Buck Privates” were not eligible for the Medal of Honor, and that he did not know enough English to be promoted. The officer in question was wrong because Private David B. Barkley, who also served in the 89th Division, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. It so happens that years later it was discovered that Barkley was Hispanic, thus the only Hispanic recipient of the Medal of Honor in World War I.
Serna returned to the U.S. as the most decorated soldier from Texas and the first Hispanic to be awarded the DSC. #zerofucks #nofucks #stayzero #hero