Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SCR46 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		By: Rodríguez S.C.R. No. 46
2		-	(In the Senate - Filed May 12, 2015; May 12, 2015, read
3		-	first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and
4		-	Military Installations; May 15, 2015, reported favorably by the
5		-	following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 15, 2015, sent to printer.)
6		-	Click here to see the committee vote
7	2
8	3
9	4		SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
10	5		WHEREAS, The Texas Legislative Medal of Honor was established
11	6		to recognize gallant and intrepid service by a member of the state
12	7		or federal military forces, and United States Army Private
13	8		Marcelino Serna proved himself a deserving recipient of this
14	9		prestigious honor with his heroic actions during World War I; and
15	10		WHEREAS, Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1896, Mr. Serna came
16	11		to the United States as a young man and spent time in Texas, Kansas,
17	12		and Colorado; after the United States entered World War I in 1917,
18	13		he enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 20, and after
19	14		only three weeks of training, he was shipped overseas with the 355th
20	15		Infantry, 89th Division; when his superior officers in France
21	16		learned that he was not a United States citizen, they gave him the
22	17		opportunity to return home, but Private Serna chose to stay and
23	18		fight; and
24	19		WHEREAS, Private Serna quickly established himself as a
25	20		remarkable soldier, and on at least two occasions, he demonstrated
26	21		exceptional resourcefulness and courage; during an engagement near
27	22		the French town of Saint Mihiel, 12 members of his unit were hit by
28	23		fire from an enemy machine gun, and Private Serna obtained
29	24		permission from his lieutenant to scout out the gun emplacement on
30	25		his own; moving through heavy fire, and surviving two rounds that
31	26		were deflected by his helmet, he tossed four hand grenades into the
32	27		machine gun nest, killing six of the enemy; he then took the eight
33	28		survivors captive; and
34	29		WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, during the Meuse-Argonne
35	30		campaign, Private Serna embarked on a second lone scouting mission;
36	31		he began by wounding a German sniper with a shot from 200 yards,
37	32		then followed the injured man into a trench; firing and hurling
38	33		grenades in all directions to make it seem as if he were part of a
39	34		larger force, he shot three German soldiers immediately, then
40	35		attacked an enemy dugout, felling 26 more and capturing 24; he
41	36		single-handedly held the prisoners at gunpoint until other members
42	37		of his unit arrived; and
43	38		WHEREAS, Private Serna continued to serve in combat until the
44	39		end of the war, receiving a wound in each leg, and while he was
45	40		recovering in a French hospital, he was presented with the
46	41		Distinguished Service Cross from the American commander in France,
47	42		General John J. Pershing; he also earned the World War I Victory
48	43		Medal with five stars, the Victory Medal with three campaign bars,
49	44		the Saint Mihiel Medal, the Verdun Medal, and two Purple Hearts; he
50	45		was further decorated by the governments of France, Italy, and the
51	46		United Kingdom, receiving two French Croix de Guerre with Palm
52	47		Medals, the French Medaille Militaire, the French Commemorative
53	48		Medal, the British Medal of Honor, and the Italian Cross of Merit;
54	49		and
55	50		WHEREAS, After returning to the United States, Mr. Serna
56	51		became a United States citizen in 1924 and settled in El Paso, where
57	52		he lived until his death in 1992; he was the most decorated Texas
58	53		veteran of World War I, winning every major military award short of
59	54		the Congressional Medal of Honor, and petitions have been put forth
60	55		on several occasions to grant him that commendation as well; and
61	56		WHEREAS, Marcelino Serna's courageous battlefield actions
62	57		during World War I have been recognized with a host of illustrious
63	58		commendations, and it is indeed appropriate that he be honored with
64	59		the highest military award granted by the state in which he made his
65	60		home; now, therefore, be it
66	61		RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
67	62		hereby direct the governor of the State of Texas to posthumously
68	63		award the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Marcelino Serna in
69	64		recognition of his valiant efforts during World War I.
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