84R29026 JGH-D
By: RodrÃguez S.C.R. No. 46
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
or federal military forces, and U.S. Army Private Marcelino Serna
proved himself a deserving recipient of this prestigious honor with
his heroic actions during World War I; and
WHEREAS, Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1896, Mr. Serna came
to the United States as a young man and spent time in Texas, Kansas,
and Colorado; after the United States entered World War I in 1917,
he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 20, and after only three
weeks of training, he was shipped overseas with the 355th Infantry,
89th Division; when his superior officers in France learned that he
was not a U.S. citizen, they gave him the opportunity to return
home, but Private Serna chose to stay and fight; and
WHEREAS, Private Serna quickly established himself as a
remarkable soldier, and on at least two occasions, he demonstrated
exceptional resourcefulness and courage; during an engagement near
the French town of St. Mihiel, 12 members of his unit were hit by
fire from an enemy machine gun, and Private Serna obtained
permission from his lieutenant to scout out the gun emplacement on
his own; moving through heavy fire, and surviving two rounds that
were deflected by his helmet, he tossed four hand grenades into the
machine gun nest, killing six of the enemy; he then took the eight
survivors captive; and
WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, during the Meuse-Argonne
campaign, Private Serna embarked on a second lone scouting mission;
he began by wounding a German sniper with a shot from 200 yards,
then followed the injured man into a trench; firing and hurling
grenades in all directions to make it seem as if he were part of a
larger force, he shot three German soldiers immediately, then
attacked an enemy dugout, felling 26 more and capturing 24; he
single-handedly held the prisoners at gunpoint until other members
of his unit arrived; and
WHEREAS, Private Serna continued to serve in combat until the
end of the war, receiving a wound in each leg, and while he was
recovering in a French hospital, he was presented with the
Distinguished Service Cross from the American commander in France,
General John J. Pershing; he also earned the World War I Victory
Medal with five stars, the Victory Medal with three campaign bars,
the St. Mihiel Medal, the Verdun Medal, and two Purple Hearts; he
was further decorated by the governments of France, Italy, and the
United Kingdom, receiving two French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Medals, the French Medaille Militaire, the French Commemorative
Medal, the British Medal of Honor, and the Italian Cross of Merit;
and
WHEREAS, After returning to the United States, Mr. Serna
became a U.S. citizen in 1924 and settled in El Paso, where he lived
until his death in 1992; he was the most decorated Texas veteran of
World War I, winning every major military award short of the
Congressional Medal of Honor, and petitions have been put forth on
several occasions to grant him that commendation as well; and
WHEREAS, Marcelino Serna's courageous battlefield actions
during World War I have been recognized with a host of illustrious
commendations, and it is indeed appropriate that he be honored with
the highest military award granted by the state in which he made his
home; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously
award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Marcelino Serna in
recognition of his valiant efforts during World War I.