Marcelino Serna: Additional Historical Findings: Special to the Editor

Dr. Mario Longoria and I met in 1970 when he was a student at California State Univ. Northridge. I was a new professor in Chicano Studies and Mario had entered our program after serving in the Navy. He was one of thousands of Latinos who served during the Vietnam War years. Mario has a Ph.D in English, but loves history and is the official historian of the Edgewood District Veterans Inc. in San Antonio, Texas. Here is an account of Serna’s military action taken from U.S. Government reports. It is most interesting.

“Hispanics in Combat” Researched and edited by Mario Longoria, Ph.D. November 13, 1992

United States Army Pvt. Marcelino Serna

From scattered records, we do know that Hispanic Americans fought in World War I. Nicholas Lucero, a nineteen year old from Albuquerque, New Mexico received the French Croix de Guerre for destroying two German machine gun emplacements and for keeping a constant fire on the enemy positions for over three hours.

In another incident, Marcelino Serna, a Hispanic, enlisted in the Army and was sent to fight in the frontline trenches of France. On September 12, 1918, the United States 1st Army launched an offensive to crash through the St. Michiel salient near the French-German border.

That same day, Private Serna shot at a German soldier opposite him in the trenches. The German was wounded but still managed to return Serna’s fire, grazing him slightly on the head. Following a trail of blood, Serna tracked the wounded enemy soldier to a dugout. He paused a moment, then tossed a concussion grenade into the enclosure. To his surprise, not one but 24 Germans came out.

As Marcelino was attempting to seek help to detain these prisoners, a young American soldier approached him and attempted to kill the prisoners. Marcelino informed the young soldier that if he wanted to shoot the enemy he should go to find some further north of the trenches. He also told him that it was against the rules of war to kill prisoners.

For his feat, Serna was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. For later actions, he was also decorated with the French Croix de Guerre, the Victory Medal with three bars, and the Purple Heart twice. Although seemingly eligible for the U.S. Medal of Honor, he was told by an officer that to be so honored one had to be of a higher rank than “buck” private, and that he could not be advanced to a higher grade (rank) because he could not read or write English well enough to sign reports.   

Reference

Hispanics in America’s Defense. Office of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal

Opportunity and Safety Policy (1983). Page 36.