by Sancho de Beurko Association
A centenarian World War II veteran reflects on memory, sacrifice, and the effort to build the National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial in Gardnerville, Nevada.
At 104 years old, Regina “Reggie” Bastida is among the last living World War II veterans of Basque origin — and one of the few remaining voices of the generation that helped define modern America.
Born in Boise, Idaho in 1922 to Basque immigrant parents, Regina served with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II and belongs to the generation often called the “Greatest Generation.” Their service helped defend the democratic values that continue to shape the United States today.
In a recently-recorded interview in Boise, Regina shared a message that captures both the spirit of her generation and the purpose behind the National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial:
| “We want to remember our young men that went to war and gave their lives for our country.” — Second Lieutenant Regina “Reggie” Bastida U.S. Army Nurse Corps |
Her words remind us that remembrance is not only about the past — it is about the civic principles her generation stood for: duty, sacrifice, service, and democracy.
After more than a decade of research, the nonprofit homeland history association Sancho de Beurko has identified over 2,150 men and women of Basque descent who served during World War II across the United States and abroad. In many ways, their story reflects a familiar American narrative: immigrants — some of them not yet citizens — and the sons and daughters of immigrant families who stepped forward to serve both their country of adoption and the country of their birth during one of the defining moments of the twentieth century.
Today, the project has reached an important milestone. The Town of Gardnerville, Nevada, has designated a site in Heritage Park for the memorial, and a conceptual design has been completed. The goal is to dedicate the memorial before the end of 2026, ensuring that the service of this generation is honored while their voices can still guide us.
“Echoes of two wars, 1936-1945” aims to disseminate the stories of those Basques and Navarrese who participated in two of the warfare events that defined the future of much of the 20th century. With this blog, the intention of the Sancho de Beurko Association is to rescue from anonymity the thousands of people who constitute the backbone of the historical memory of the Basque and Navarre communities, on both sides of the Pyrenees, and their diasporas of emigrants and descendants, with a primary emphasis on the United States, during the period from 1936 to 1945.
THE AUTHORS
Guillermo Tabernilla is a researcher and founder of the Sancho de Beurko Association, a non-profit organization that studies the history of the Basques and Navarrese from both sides of the Pyrenees in the Spanish Civil War and in World War II. He is currently their secretary and community manager. He is also editor of the digital magazine Saibigain. Between 2008 and 2016 he directed the catalog of the “Iron Belt” for the Heritage Directorate of the Basque Government and is, together with Pedro J. Oiarzabal, principal investigator of the Fighting Basques Project, a memory project on the Basques and Navarrese in the Second World War in collaboration with the federation of Basque Organizations of North America.
Pedro J. Oiarzabal is a Doctor in Political Science-Basque Studies, granted by the University of Nevada, Reno (USA). For two decades, his work has focused on research and consulting on public policies (citizenship abroad and return), diasporas and new technologies, and social and historical memory (oral history, migration and exile), with special emphasis on the Basque case. He is the author of more than twenty publications. He has authored the blog “Basque Identity 2.0” by EITB and “Diaspora Bizia” by EuskalKultura.eus. On Twitter @Oiarzabal.
Josu M. Aguirregabiria is a researcher and founder of the Sancho de Beurko Association and is currently its president. A specialist in the Civil War in Álava, he is the author of several publications related to this topic, among which “La batalla de Villarreal de Álava” (2015) y “Seis días de guerra en el frente de Álava. Comienza la ofensiva de Mola” (2018) stand out.
The National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial is envisioned as the first and only national monument in the United States dedicated exclusively to Basque-American World War II veterans. More importantly, it is intended as a civic space where future generations can reflect on the values that Regina’s generation embodied.
Honoring this generation is also a race against time.
Projects like this are never the work of a single organization or community. They are built through the commitment of people who believe that remembrance matters.
For those who feel moved by Regina’s message, there are many ways to help bring this tribute to life — whether by supporting the project directly, sharing its story, or helping connect it with others who care about preserving this chapter of American history.
Those who wish to support the Memorial may do so through our secure online donation page:
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/national-basque-wwii-veterans-memorial/items
Because as Regina reminds us, the purpose is simple:
We must remember them.
If you are a relative of a Basque WWII veteran and you would like to find out if he or she is on the list, please contact the project researchers: sanchobeurko@gmail.com
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