Two Strangers Come Together To Remember A Friend And Loved One
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And it's time again for StoryCorps as we move into Memorial Day weekend. To honor veterans, we hear memories of Army Sgt. 1st Class Carl Torello, who died nearly 50 years ago in Vietnam. His daughter Lisa was 5 years old at the time. Now she's a sergeant major in the Army. She recently connected with Tony Cistaro, the only survivor from the attack that killed her father. And this conversation was recorded the day after they first met.
LISA TORELLO: My dad was due to retire. He was two months short of 20 years, so he knew it was his last tour and he was going to go home for good.
TONY CISTARO: Your dad was very duty-bound. If he was passed over to go out in the field, he'd get animated about it. And I was with your dad the day he was killed. We were going to travel through the province and make three stops. It was a winding road. And as we're coming down the hill, which was the most dangerous spot, I turned and faced your father. We smiled and gave each other a thumbs up. We made it. And the next thing I knew, I was thrown out of my seat, and I was seeing sky. I realized then, my God, we've been blown up. Your father was lying off to the side of the road, and he never regained consciousness. I know I was the last person your dad saw. And I still see that smile on your father's face, one hand on the steering wheel, and that's how I remember your dad.
TORELLO: When we met yesterday, you said, you have your dad's smile.
CISTARO: Yeah.
TORELLO: I just - I lost it. My dad and I had this connection that was deeper than I even understood. And within two months after graduating from high school, I left for basic training. And then once I joined the Army, all I really wanted to do was to be his rank. So when I made my father's rank, as soon as the ceremony was over, I went to the bathroom and cried, and I was like, I did it. That was the most monumental thing that ever happened to me. I mean, I wanted to be exactly like him. And 31 years in the Army, I guess I am just like him.
CISTARO: Yeah. You're a brave, young lady, too. Every year, I visit your dad at the wall and someone asks, don't you want to forget? And, no, I'm happy I met you, and I'm happy that I can help you understand more.
TORELLO: I'm humble and I'm grateful to know you, and we'll always keep in touch.
CISTARO: Yes. And I want to say, your dad, his grin would be from ear to ear - you know that? - to see you as you are now.
TORELLO: Thank you. I don't feel like he's ever left me - ever.
INSKEEP: Sgt. Maj. Lisa Torello talking with Tony Cistaro in Washington. Like all StoryCorps conversations, theirs will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
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