By: Campbell, et al. S.C.R. No. 50
(Raymond, Lopez)
SENATE 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
and U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Apprentice William Ray Flores proved
themselves deserving recipients of this prestigious honor with
their heroic actions in the service of their nation; and
WHEREAS, Born in Mexico, Mr. Serna came to the United States
as a young man; when 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 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, A remarkable soldier, Private Serna demonstrated
exceptional resourcefulness and courage during an engagement near
the French town of St. Mihiel; when 12 members of his unit were
gunned down by the enemy, he volunteered to scout the machine 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
combatants; he then took the eight survivors captive; and
WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, during the Meuse-Argonne
campaign, Private Serna volunteered again for a lone scouting
mission, wounding a German sniper with a shot from 200 yards and
then following 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 served in combat until the end of the
war and was wounded in each leg, and while recovering in a French
hospital, he received the Distinguished Service Cross from 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, as well
as decorations from the governments of France, Italy, and the
United Kingdom; he became a U.S. citizen in 1924 and settled in El
Paso, where he resided until his death in 1992; the most decorated
Texas veteran of World War I, he won every major military award
short of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and petitions have been
put forth to grant him that commendation as well; and
WHEREAS, William Ray Flores was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico,
in 1961; he attended Western Hills High School in Benbrook, Texas,
and he left school early in order to enlist in the U.S. Coast Guard
at the age of 17; he served aboard the buoy tender Blackthorn, and
on the night of January 28, 1980, the ship was leaving Tampa,
Florida, on route to its home port of Galveston when it collided
with a 600-foot tanker, the SS Capricorn; the Blackthorn's hull was
ripped open along the port side by the Capricorn's anchor, and the
vessel began to take on water and roll onto its side; and
WHEREAS, In the chaos and darkness, Seaman Apprentice Flores
and a shipmate found the locker that held the ship's life jackets,
and they began throwing jackets to their crewmates already in the
water; Seaman Apprentice Flores used his trouser belt to strap the
locker open so that more jackets could float free as the Blackthorn
sank, and after nearly everyone else had abandoned ship, he stayed
aboard and attempted to save those who were still trapped below
deck; he lost his life in that effort, along with 22 of his
shipmates; and
WHEREAS, Through his selfless actions, Seaman Apprentice
Flores helped save 27 of his shipmates, and in September 2000, he
was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal, the service's
highest commendation for noncombat heroism; in 2012, the Coast
Guard fast response cutter William Flores was named in his honor,
and on the 40th anniversary of the Blackthorn's accident in January
2020, a life-size statue of Seaman Apprentice Flores was unveiled
at a ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida; and
WHEREAS, Marcelino Serna and William Flores each
demonstrated uncommon courage, initiative, and devotion to their
comrades during desperate situations, and it is indeed appropriate
that they be honored with the highest military award granted by the
state that is proud to call them Texans; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 87th 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 and to William
Ray Flores in recognition of his heroism during the sinking of the
USCGC Blackthorn.