26. An Emergency Brings Out the Hero in Serna
At Saint-Mihiel, Marcelino Serna’s unit stumbled into the kill zone of a concealed and well-positioned German machine gun nest manned by 14 soldiers. Within seconds of the Germans opened fire, 12 Americans were killed. Many more were wounded, and Serna’s unit’s advance came to a halt.
As the shocked survivors were pinned down, desperately scurrying for cover from enemy fire, private Serna demonstrated what he was made of, and sprang into action to rescue his comrades. By the time it was over, Serna had cemented his status as a bonafide hero.