{"id":106759,"date":"2020-10-31T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2020-10-31T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=106759"},"modified":"2020-10-31T12:37:37","modified_gmt":"2020-10-31T16:37:37","slug":"racism-deprived-latino-wwi-hero-marcelino-serna-of-the-medal-of-honor-he-deserves-it-advocates-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=106759","title":{"rendered":"Racism deprived Latino WWI hero Marcelino Serna of the Medal of Honor. He deserves it, advocates say."},"content":{"rendered":"

This came across my desk the other night as I was polishing off my Valor Friday post. NBC loves them some click-bait headlines. That’s how they titled an article<\/a> on a truly impressive man. Since valor history is my thing, I looked into this past the article that the “journalist” at NBC put together.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lance Corporal Marcelino Serna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just at a glance, Mr. Serna gives off an impressive visage. At once you can see this Doughboy went some places and did some things during the Great War. His awards and decorations put him in the rarified air of Captain Rickenbacker or Sgt York (both often referred to as the most decorated American of World War I).<\/p>\n

This photo is from some time well after the war, since he’s wearing a Purple Heart (created in 1932 and retroactive to the start of WWI). He’s also wearing two wound chevrons (lower right sleeve), but these reflect the same battlefield injuries (the wound chevrons could be traded in for a PH medal). In front of that he’s got a Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award for combat bravery. Serna was the first Hispanic to receive the award.<\/p>\n

Serna’s also wearing the WWI Victory Medal with three campaign clasps, which go with his three overseas service chevrons (lower left sleeve), indicating 18 months overseas service. He’s got two French Croix de Guerre Medals with bronze palms, indicating a citation for valor at the Army-level. From Italy he’s been awarded the War Merit Cross, which was awarded to other Americans such as General Tasker Bliss, Colonel Wild Bill Donovan, Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, and Sergeant Alvin York.<\/p>\n

Serna was awarded the French Military Medal. Awarded for valor in combat, only 230,000 were awarded when nearly four and a half million French soldiers were wounded or killed in action. He was also awarded the French Honour Medal of Foreign Affairs with swords (for acts of courage in favor of the French in time of war). It’s safe to say that Serna’s bravery were held in high regard among the French.<\/p>\n

Who was Marcelino Serna?<\/h3>\n

Serna was a Mexican national who had snuck across the US border in search of better job prospects in 1916 at age 20. Making his way to Boulder, Colorado, he worked as a farm hard. About the same time the US entered the war in Europe, Serna was picked up by federal agents and facing deportation. Before that could happen, he enlisted with the Army.<\/p>\n

After training he was assigned to the American Expeditionary Force’s B Company, 355th Infantry Regiment of the 89th Infantry Division, the “Rolling W” Division. The 89th had been formed up under famed Army Major General Leonard Wood<\/a> (a Medal of Honor recipient, the first commander of the Rough Riders over Teddy Roosevelt, and<\/em> a former Chief of Staff of the Army), but deployed to France with a different commander.<\/p>\n

Once in France it was discovered Serna was not an American. Mexico being neutral, he was offered a discharge but elected to remain with his comrades.<\/p>\n

What were his heroics?<\/h3>\n

Quite a lot, as you’d expect from his numerous decorations.<\/p>\n

During the Meuse-Argonne offensive, Serna’s unit came upon a German machine gun nest that had already claimed 12 soldiers. Then-Private Serna crawled up on the gun’s left flank. He continued forward despite being hit in the helmet\u00a0twice<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em>on his way. He got close enough to throw grenades into the machine gun nest. Eight Germans surrendered under his one-man assault, the rest had died from Serna’s grenades.<\/p>\n

On 12 September, 1918 Serna spotted an enemy sniper. He shot the sniper with his Enfield rifle, then followed the wounded German into his trench. Once at the enemy fortification, Serna threw grenades into the trench. His single-handed charge resulted in killing 26 enemy and the 24 left standing surrendering to the private.<\/p>\n

On 7 November, just days before the armistice, Serna was shot in both legs by a sniper while serving at the front.<\/p>\n

While recuperating, General Pershing himself visited and pinned the Distinguished Service Cross onto Serna’s chest for his heroics of 12 September.<\/p>\n

After the war he was mustered out in 1919 at Camp Bowie in Texas as that state’s most decorated man of the war. He would become a US citizen in 1924, married and settled in El Paso. He worked as a plumber and died in 1992 at the age of 95.<\/p>\n

Racism?<\/h3>\n

There has been much research and discussion of racism in the awards and decorations process in years past. There are many examples of truly, unbelievably heroic men who were denied proper honors. We’ve discussed some of them in the past, such as First Lieutenant John Fox<\/a>. Thankfully in reviews of these awards conducted in the 90’s and into the 21st Century, their sacrifices and bravery have been properly recognized. Such reviews are now, as of last year, being conducted on awards from pre-WWII.<\/p>\n

The accusation of Serna’s supporters is that he was denied the Medal of Honor for his bravery due to racism. It’s certainly possible. Fighting units of the Army had only integrated Hispanics into the fighting force in WWI due to manpower issues.<\/p>\n

Marcelino is said to have been told by an officer in his unit that a lowly buck private wouldn’t receive the Medal of Honor. They told him that his lack of English skills meant he would be unpromotable. At some point he was in fact promoted. As noted above, in that post-war photo he’s wearing the rank insignia of a lance corporal.<\/p>\n

Supporters of Serna’s point to Private David Barkley, also of the 89th Division, as proof that a buck private was awarded the Medal of Honor. Indeed, Private Barkley received the medal. Playing Devil’s Advocate, Barkley received his award posthumously. That’s one reason for the award disparity. To Serna’s supporters it should also be noted that Barkley was also Hispanic (albeit only on his Mother’s side).<\/p>\n

From the article linked at the top;<\/p>\n

\u201cIt clearly appears Private Marcelino Serna did not receive the Medal of Honor due to him being a Mexican American and an immigrant,\u201d Lawrence Romo, national commander of the American GI Forum, a civil rights organization and federally chartered veterans group, wrote to the Army.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let’s see how clear their argument is.<\/p>\n

The military\u2019s official citation for the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest battlefield honor, states that Serna singlehandedly charged and captured 24 German soldiers.<\/p>\n

But other accounts give more thorough details of his heroism and cite more than one such successful solo mission.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They go on to relay the stories I’ve told you above.<\/p>\n

Serna performed acts of bravery that were not fully documented in official citations by the military, said Andr\u00e9s Tijerina, a Vietnam veteran and award-winning historian who has researched Serna.<\/p>\n

Serna was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, two Croix de Guerre with Palm by France and the Croce al Merito di Guerra by the Italian government. His Distinguished Service Cross was presented by Gen. John J. Pershing, according to a 2016 opinion piece written by former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and published in the El Paso Times.<\/p>\n

Romo said the omission of the additional details on the number of enemy soldiers he killed and captured from Serna’s Distinguished Service Cross documents appears to be \u201calmost like they watered down his citation so they wouldn\u2019t have to give him the Medal of Honor.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve read a lot of award citations from the time. Serna’s is about par for the course in narrative substance. It’s lacking detail, but that is not at all unusual for the time.<\/p>\n

The article goes on to note similarities to white Medal of Honor recipients like Alvin York (his contemporary) and the WWII Audie Murphy. Both men undoubtedly earned their accolades. There are comparisons to be made, but Serna’s case is ill-served by pointing to these two men. York single-handedly held back and mowed down a German attack, taking 132 enemy prisoners. Murphy single-handed held off a company of Germans attacking him for an hour and then, though wounded and out of ammo, led a successful counter-offensive. The race of York and Murphy is totally irrelevant to their receiving the Medal of Honor.<\/p>\n

Tijerina said Serna\u2019s story helps contradict generalizations about Mexican and other immigrants as harmful to the country and that \u201cso many are rapists, murderers and criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2016, President Donald Trump announced his presidential bid by claiming Mexico was sending to the U.S. people that are bringing drugs and crime and are rapists.<\/p>\n

That Serna was not a citizen when he carried out his heroics is all the more reason to recognize his bravery, Tijerina said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did it because he believed in democracy. And he did it in the face of insults,\u201d Tijerina said. \u201cPeople should know about this man.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, there it is. More thoroughly debunked libel against President Trump. Which has zero to do with the topic at hand, but the “journalist” can’t help but put in contemporary political commentary on something that happened more than 100 years ago.<\/p>\n

My take on it<\/h3>\n

Serna’s bravery is without question. I’m sure his documented cases of extreme heroics were not isolated instances. In reading so many of these award citations, I’ve seen awards like Serna’s. For whatever reason, unbeknownst to me or anyone left alive, he was not recommended for the highest honor.<\/p>\n

Was that racism? Given that another Hispanic man from his division at the same time received the Medal of Honor leads me to say that’s not the case. It very likely was that the division didn’t think a private who lived should receive the medal. During the war there are several cases of privates receiving the medal, though it’s about half and half posthumous awards.<\/p>\n

Serna’s citizenship status had zero bearing on his awards. There are countless cases of non-citizens being awarded high medals. There are hundreds of foreign-born recipients of the Medal of Honor. There are so many that they make up about 20% of the recipients.<\/p>\n

I wouldn’t be against Serna’s DSC being upgraded. You ask me, his heroics taking out the machine gun nest are the stuff of legend. Then a few weeks later he chased a sniper he wounded, alone, back to his trench and then, still alone, assaulted the enemy there killing dozens and taking many more prisoner! It’s amazing they could find a boat to bring him home that could displace enough water to support those brass balls . Either would rate the Medal of Honor in my book, but I don’t think that his is such a glaring case of racism. It comes off far more as a case of privatism, that is to say that the officers that make, route, and approve such awards do not appreciate the valor of the poor foot soldier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This came across my desk the other night as I was polishing off my Valor Friday … Racism deprived Latino WWI hero Marcelino Serna of the Medal of Honor. He deserves it, advocates say.<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[359,10,389,217],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-army","category-historical","category-valor","category-we-remember"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/664"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=106759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106782,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106759\/revisions\/106782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=106759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=106759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=106759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}