This Memorial Day, we remember those who served—and those who never came home.
Among them were Private Pete Etchepare Arriaga of Elko, Nevada, a D-Day soldier killed in Belgium in January 1945 at the age of 23, and Private Johnny Istilarte Barnetche of Stockton, California, killed in the Philippines in November 1944 at the age of 27.
Two among dozens of Basque and Basque-American servicemen who never returned.
Their sacrifice is part of a larger story—one of more than 2,160 Basque and Basque-American men and women who answered the call during World War II. They served across every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and the Merchant Marine, in theaters of war around the world.
For generations, their stories have endured in families, communities, and historical records scattered across America. For the first time, they will be symbolically reunited in a single site of remembrance: the National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial in Gardnerville, Nevada—the first national memorial of its kind in the United States.
A place to honor service.
A place to remember sacrifice.
A place of shared memory.
This Memorial Day, take a moment to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom—and help us build the National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial, a permanent tribute to dignity and enduring legacy.
To support the Memorial and help bring it to life: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/national-basque-wwii-veterans-memorial/items