Fernando Serna was born in Laredo, Texas in October 1922. He was a senior in high school when the war started. He was the eldest child and helped his father in the fields. He assisted in selling the produce but tired of that. He was not doing well in school and wanted to belong to something else so he decided to enlist in the Army. He was sent to Fort Sam Houston and took to Army life. He was deployed overseas when the war started. He heard about Pearl Harbor while based on Corregidor. He and his .50 caliber machine gun crew shot down one of the first enemy airplanes. He was a member of Battery C, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA). The Japanese attacked the Philippines at the same time they attacked Pearl Harbor. Serna fought on Corregidor until the Philippines were surrendered. He was assigned to the 60th Coast Artillery because he did not want to go to the infantry. His mathematics skills helped him get into the antiaircraft regiment. He underwent basic training in Texas and then he joined the regiment. He was shipped to San Francisco and became a member of Battery C. He sailed to the Philippines and Corregidor Island. His barracks were topside. On Corregidor, there was topside, middle side, bottom side, and beaches assignments. The machine guns were combined with three inch antiaircraft guns in the battery. There were both water cooled and the lighter air cooled .30 caliber machine guns in the battery. There were also .50 caliber water cooled machine guns in the unit. Serna was assigned to one of the three inch antiaircraft guns as a loader. He provides details on the gun and gun crew operations for the three inch gun. The crews trained constantly on their weapons. The noncommissioned officers for the battery arrived on the island prior to the battery crews. Corregidor Island protected Manila Bay. Manila and Bataan were just across the bay from Corregidor. From the time that Serna experienced the first Japanese attack, he knew the war was for real. Combat continued daily after the first day. He was strafed by the Japanese aircraft and continued firing his weapon. While it was exciting, it was scary, too.

Fernando Serna and the defenders of Corregidor were bombarded continuously for days on end. He was scared but he kept on going. He was obliged to man the weapon and fire on the enemy. [Annotator's Note: Serna was a loader on a three inch antiaircraft gun in Battery C, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA).] Some men broke down. Food was adequate in the beginning but there was no resupply over time. Mules and horses would eventually become part of the diet as food ran low. Serna saw his first jeep on the island and thought it was great. There were old tanks allocated for the defenders. Serna did everything that was asked of him. Nevertheless, he started and was discharged as a private. Serna's company commander recommended him for a Silver Star. It was never authorized until years later. The officer had died in captivity, but his recommendation was discovered in a trunk after the war. Serna's Silver Star citation stated that he saved five or six men. When the Japanese took over the island, many of the Americans did not want to surrender. They were taking whatever the enemy dished out until General Wainwright [Annotator's Note: US Army General Jonathan M. Wainwright commanded all troops in the Philippines at that juncture] ordered his troops to surrender. Serna felt bad. The Japanese had the airpower compared to the American P-40s [Annotator's Note: Curtis P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft].

Fernando Serna was treated harshly by the Japanese immediately after the surrender of Corregidor. He saluted a Japanese officer who summarily knocked him to the ground and repeatedly did so when Serna saluted him again. Unlike the troops captured on Bataan, there was no Death March for the Corregidor survivors. Serna was taken off the island and moved to an area near Manila. The captives were forced off the barge. They had to swim for Manila. Some men did not make it. After reaching shore, the prisoners were marched through the streets of the city. Civilians threw food at them. Serna managed to get a banana and a piece of fruit. That tasted very good. While still on Corregidor, Serna's unit [Annotator's Note: Battery C, 60th Coast Artillery Regiment (AA)] had a radio for communication with headquarters. From Manila, Serna was taken to Bilibid prison for a few days. They were then marched on to Cabanatuan. From there, he was sent back to Manila for a voyage to Mukden, Manchuria by way of Seoul, Korea. Food was always scarce. Serna often took the opportunity to sabotage Japanese equipment. He was severely beaten constantly. Some men had to face a firing squad depending on their infraction. Serna joined work details in order to bring food back with him. When caught, he was beaten. He managed to survive. His body got weaker and weaker from lack of food. He was given hospital treatment for malaria and malnutrition. Being a small man, he required less food. That aided in his survival. Some guards helped Serna during his captivity. Serna met a young American officer who wanted to learn Spanish. They worked together to help the man improve his Spanish. Serna got food in exchange for his efforts. The officer had been on Bataan. There were many Latinos in Serna's outfit. Mail was very infrequent. Before leaving the Philippines, Serna was incarcerated at Cabanatuan.

Fernando Serna was sent from the Philippines to Korea and then to Manchuria. He slaved in Korea at a tool and die factory for Mitsubishi. That was the harshest treatment he experienced. In Manchuria, he worked in a coal mine operated by Mitsubishi. The water in the mine was waist deep. After drinking some of it, Serna became very sick. He took a while to recover. It was a tough experience. He stole medicine and food at the factory. He and other prisoners managed to outfox the guards at times but, when caught, Serna was beaten unmercifully. There was no indication to the inmates that the war was turning against Japan. There were groups of Americans who cooperated with the guards and others, like Serna, who did not. Where Serna was captive, the factory had plenty of supplies. The inmates were required to unload railcars bringing supplies. Manchuria was very cold. After Manchuria, Serna was sent to Formosa. The prisoners were treated harshly and not expected to live. Serna managed to make it back to the Philippines.

Fernando Serna was liberated from a prisoner of war camp after the war. He was treated by doctors and nurses following his liberation. He ate a whole gallon of ice cream and started a second one. Supplies were dropped by aircraft to the former inmates. There were plentiful Hershey bars to enjoy. He stuffed himself so much he became sick on more than one occasion. He felt the joy of liberation right away. The former prisoners were treated to as much chow as they wanted. They ate food they had not had in their years of imprisonment. He had been captured in May 1942 after the fall of Corregidor. He was liberated after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan and their surrender. He was in Manchuria when the war ended. Transported to Japan, he eventually made his way back to the Philippines after stopping on Okinawa. It was a hell of a feeling to be free again and to enjoy good food even if it made him sick. He was happy to see the United States again. He ate so much, it felt like heaven. The treatment he received was very nice. It was good to see his family. He stayed in the military but was ultimately discharged. He tried school but it did not work for him.

Fernando Serna had several close calls during the war. Assigned to Corregidor Island in the Philippines, he got out of a foxhole just before a bomb fell in it. The ordnance did not explode so he was lucky. He almost fainted. [Annotator's Note: Serna laughs.] Another incident involved a Marine corpsman who saved Serna's life while he was sick. It made Serna feel very bad when the corpsman eventually grew ill but Serna could not reciprocate and help the sick Marine recover. The Marine died. Serna felt guilty about it. Later in captivity, he was aided by a Japanese guard who spoke Spanish. Serna was able to converse with him in Spanish as a result. The guard would provide things for Serna who in turn returned with the goods to share with his fellow prisoners. Other guards beat and punished Serna. The guard who spoke Spanish seemed to look after Serna. The guard obviously was forced into the Army and was not a military man. The voyage and march to Manchuria was long and difficult. Conditions in Manchuria were stricter than at other locations. It was a Mitsubishi company in Manchuria. Serna worked in a dirty and smelly lead mine there. It was hard work but the prisoners were free labor. He also worked in coal mines. The powder coal was terrible to breathe. The friendly Japanese guard helped Serna with something to filter the horrible air while he was in the coal mine.

Fernando Serna recollects being transported to Japan and Formosa aboard a ship that was used during World War 1 to move horses to Europe. The conditions were very confining for the miserable 38 day trip. The prisoners were hosed off when they reached their destination. Serna feels it important for young people to continue to be educated about World War 2. Museums such as The National WWII Museum are a significant aid in that educational process. Serna would advise future POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] to keep on going and, despite it being hard, continue to survive and avoid sickness. Serna advises not to give up in the face of deprivation, brutality and hardships. He recommends to stay within the limits of the law for future generations. Do the best possible job to survive.