by Pedro Oiarzabal March 1 marks the first anniversary of the historical resolution that honors, for the first time in the history of the United States, our WWII veterans of Basque origin. The resolution was passed by the Texas House of Representatives, in Austin, thanks to the efforts of Representative Rafael Anchia (HD 103) and […]
On the 5th of December, a small ceremony will take place on the Japanese island of Okinawa in which tribute will be paid to all American veterans of Basque origin who died during World War II (WWII) in the Pacific, with special recognition for those who perished on the island. They were over twenty young […]
For the last three years, I’ve been collaborating with Pedro Oiarzabal, Guillermo Tabernilla, and the Fighting Basques: Basque Memory of the Second World War project, translating their articles from Spanish to English. The Fighting Basques project recognizes the sacrifices and contributions that Basque Americans made during World War II. These were often the children of […]
This article original appeared in Spanish at EuskalNews.eus. You can find Part I here. By Pedro J. Oiarzabal and Guillermo Tabernilla The Evacuation of Wake After the Japanese occupation of Wake Island on December 23, 1941, both military personnel and civilians were made prisoners of war without distinction, beginning an inhumane treatment that would continue […]
This article original appeared in Spanish at EuskalNews.eus. By Pedro J. Oiarzabal and Guillermo Tabernilla “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” (Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, 1888). Operation Rainbow 5 The escalation of tensions between Japan and the United States during the 1930s focused attention on the Pacific […]
This article original appeared in Spanish at EuskalKultura.eus. Interrogated in Budapest “Alfonso Garde, Corporal, 3835273.” Those were the only words that came out of his mouth in response to the demands of his interrogator. Under the Geneva Convention, a prisoner of war only had to provide his name, rank, and serial number. “Alfonso Garde, Corporal, […]
This article originally appeared in Spanish at Euskalkultura.eus on May 27, 2022. As the Basque-Chilean musician Alberto Arregui contemplated the Statue of Liberty as he entered the Port of New York, the words of Carl Vincent Krogmann, the mayor of the German city of Hamburg, echoed in his head, “Why did you not join us […]
This article originally appeared in Spanish at Euskalkultura.eus on March 7, 2022. Joining the worldwide commemoration of Women’s Day, our colleagues from the historical research group of the Sancho de Beurko Association published another new and interesting article, on another little-known topic, the Nurse Cadets Corps of the United States and the participation of Basque-American […]
This article originally appeared in Basque and Spanish at Euskalkultura.eus on January 13, 2022. On this Memorial Day, we bring you the story of Joseph Etcheverry and Helena (Santana) Etcheverry, a story of our diaspora that, like many others, unites and connects origins in Euskal Herria — in this case Ortzaize and Arrosa, in Nafarroa […]
Not long ago, we learned about Florentino Goikoetxea, a mugalari – a smuggler – who helped fugitives cross the French-Spanish border during World War II. Of course, he didn’t act alone. Those fugitives needed a place to stay, and sometimes heal, before they could make the crossing. That was the role of people like Kattalin […]
