For many years, the story, collected and reproduced by writers, journalists and historians, of the hundred marines under the command of a certain Captain Carranza who had served as encoders on Guadalcanal transmitting information in Basque so that this would not be captured by the Japanese listeners, it was practically (and it is not little, given that we are facing a story as epic as it is identity-based) the only connection that the Basques had with this body. But this was nothing more than a myth that Pedro J. Oiarzabal and yours truly dismantled in number 3 of the magazine "Saibigain" (2017) of the Sancho de Beurko Association.
The question is not trivial and is based on the aura that the marines acquired from the summer of 1942, when they began to hit back, paraphrasing the title of the book by Joseph N. Mueller on Guadalcanal (Marines hit back and. Oxford:Osprey Publishing) after a series of stunning Japanese victories on the vast Asia-Pacific stage in a terrible campaign that would last three long years.
During the deconstruction of this false story, and even afterwards, Pedro and I were able to identify 30 authentic marines of Basque origin , real heroes who were in all the combats of the Pacific campaign. A small part of the more than 1,000 1st and 2nd generation Basque Americans who participated in the United States war effort in all theaters of World War II. It is an unknown memory that is embedded, in turn, in a larger one that reaches the main belligerent countries in the greatest conflict of all time. Work to which the Sancho de Beurko Association has dedicated its Basques and World War II project or Fighting Basques Project, from which this documentary is derived, which is currently in the production phase.
The documentary Basques in WW2. The Marine Corps
After a general introduction about the Basques and the Marine Corps, the documentary will recreate history through dramatizations carried out by specialists in historical recreation the decisive moments in the lives of half a dozen Basque marines following in the wake of productions such as The Pacific (produced by Spielberg and Hanks in 2010). This will transport us to an inhospitable and wild scenario before an implacable enemy and determined to die fighting at a moment in history that was key in the evolution of the geopolitical situation of our days. In that global context, a small migrant community in the western United States, such as the Basque, was able to reclaim its role in the so-called "sacrificial generation", the one that emerged victorious from World War II.
It is a non-profit production that bases its strength on the volunteer work of the members and friends of the Sancho de Beurko Association, especially its historical recreation group, which has composed all the sets for the Fighting Basques Project in the last five years. His motto is "rigor and friendship" and his work, based on image, has been condensed into a website and a book, Basque combatants in World War II , with the publisher Desperta Ferro. These stories will be those of Rudolph Iglesias , who fought in the 1st Marine Division and was awarded the Silver Star on Okinawa, Albert Philip Pagoaga, 5th Division, who lost his leg on Iwo Jima, Lawrence Erburu , who was part of the 4th Division and died on Saipan, Felix Ordoquihandy , of the 1st Division, who died in Okinawa, and George Ascuena , decorated with the silver star in the Philippines, although we could add some more if sufficient biographical materials are found during the research phase. This research is based on a compendium of documentary and bibliographic sources, hemerographic (press), oral, obituaries, in short, all those that are valid in a globalized world, in addition to the consultation in the North American national archives (NARA). 
In the pre-production we have had the collaboration of Veteran Militaria, Desperta Ferro publishing house and Digytal Audiovisuales . The teaser was presented at an official premiere in the US in the cradle of the Basque community in North America on the occasion of the NABO congress in Bakersfield (California) last Friday, May 24, and it is very popular, so we are very grateful.
We are aware that our project is very ambitious, but at Sancho de Beurko we are convinced that the Basque community may be interested in getting involved. At this stage we are still studying the most appropriate method of financing and we will announce it shortly, but for now you can help by making a link on the Basques in WW2 Facebook page. The Marine Corps or by writing to the email address of the Sancho de Beurko Association. We will also be very grateful to hear new stories about Basque marines or the rest of the Basque combatants of the Second World War (Army, Navy, Air Corps, etc).
Basques in WW2. The Marine Corps
Format:Dramatized Documentary
Estimated duration:35 minutes
Broadcast:Youtube (simultaneous premiere in Spanish, English and Basque)
Directed by:Jonathan Valle Pérez
Producer:Sancho de Beurko Association
Screenplay:Guillermo Tabernilla and Pedro J. Oiarzabal
Estimated production and post-production time:2019-2020
Official project link www.fightingbasques.net/basquesinww2