22. Comparing Marcelino Serna to Alvin York
America’s greatest hero of WWI, then-corporal Alvin York, had gone on a mission with 16 other men, and when they came under murderous fire, he went on a solo lethal rampage. By the time it was over, he had single-handedly killed 28 Germans and convinced dozens more to surrender. For that feat, York was deservedly awarded the Medal of Honor.
Private Marcelino Serna had gone off against the Germans not as part of a group, but on his own, and done pretty much what Corporal York had pulled off. With his daring, intrepidity, and skill at arms, Serna had killed 26 German soldiers, and captured an additional 24. On top of that, while escorting his prisoners back to friendly lines, an American sergeant directed him to execute the captives, to which Serna replied with an emphatic “cabrón! No!”