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Pvt Seferino Bernal enlisted on 13 December 1943 at Fort Sam, Houston, Texas.

He joined his unit from a replacement depot on 31 August 1944.

The mission report of his unit states that on 18 October 1944 the company made a night raid on the enemy held town of Buscherheide. Extremely heavy fire was encountered from artillery, high velocity weapons and machine guns. After the raid the troops withdrew from the town. The opjective was to destroy a bridge but the mission failed. After reorganization, Pvt Bernal, Sgt Long, Pvt Axum and Pvt Brooks were missing from the company. The remains of Sgt Long, Pvt Axum and Pvt Brooks were recovered and interred at Ardennes Cemetery. Pvt Axum and Pvt Brooks are still buried there. The remains of Pvt Bernal were never recovered and in the absence of information to indicate Pvt Bernal was a prisoner of war, it was concluded that he was killed on the data and at the location cited and his remains disposed of by the enemy in a manner which precludes their recovery.

On 23 April 1946, 5 March 1947 and 11 June 1947 a total of four unidentified remains of American soldiers were recovered and evacuated from Buscherheide. It was believed that Pvt Bernal was one of these unknown but that he was never positively identified.

He was declared officially dead one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.