The brothers Félix (left) and Julián Oleaga, proud of their Basque origin, honored the memory of their “brothers in arms” throughout their lives (photo courtesy of the Oleaga family) Having just turned 19, the young Basque-New Yorker Julián Oleaga Garayo, slight of build, found himself with hundreds of his compatriots literally up to his neck in water – laden with equipment that almost equaled his own weight – starring in one of the most momentous episodes of the Second World War (WWII).
