War casualty was a local boy
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Jamie Gallarde had a check for $6,000 in hand and two rooms at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas — and all she could do was cry.
Gallarde, of Waipahu, arrived Wednesday in Las Vegas to accept the money from the Nevada Patriot Fund on behalf of her brother, Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Cameron Sarno of Las Vegas, a former Hawai'i resident who was killed last month in an accident while on active duty in Kuwait.
"I know the pain that other families go through. I am really worn out, " Gallarde said in a telephone interview from Las Vegas.
The fund was established in April by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn. In addition to the $6,000, the fund is paying for Gallarde's two hotel rooms where she and her family are staying while they move Sarno's belongings back to Waipahu.
Sarno, who was with the 257th Transportation Company ("Rolling Thunder"), was the first member of the armed forces from Las Vegas to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
He was killed Sept. 1 when a military vehicle slammed into his parked tractor-trailer, crushing him as he was connecting a chain under the disabled vehicle.
"The protection of this country not only falls on active soldiers but also on reservists," said Jerry Bussell, Guinn's special adviser on homeland security and himself a Vietnam veteran. "His commitment, his ultimate commitment, is typical of the citizen soldier."
Sarno was a resident of Las Vegas since 1998. He worked there as a concrete mixer and truck driver for Silver State Materials Corp.
"Serving his country was something he cared a lot about, but for it to end that way, it was hard." said Brad Rucker, his former supervisor. "There are people with that attitude, who really enjoy serving their country. When they die fulfilling that, it makes you look hard at your own patriotism."
Sarno was born July 18, 1960, in Wahiawa. After graduating from Waipahu High School, he joined the Army, following the path of his late father, James Sarno Sr., who served in Germany in the mid-1950s.
"This man was an out-and-out soldier. He cared about his men," said Sarno's aunt, Nancy Gurdison of Las Vegas. "He always told me that he drilled everything into his men's minds so that if anything happened to him, they could go on without him."
Family members describe Sarno as an outgoing, adventurous and athletic individual — the type of person, Gallarde said, who made strangers feel like lifelong friends.
Of her brother's three sons, Gurdison said, Cameron was the naughtiest and most talkative.
"He was the rascal. This guy would not shut up. He loved to talk, he had so many stories to tell, he was just fun to be with," Gurdison said.
"When I would hear his truck pull up, I would tell my husband to entertain him, because I couldn't stay up to midnight!"
Sarno was an avid hunter, surfer, and all-around outdoorsman. He also had a black belt in kempo and was a member of the Hawai'i Martial Arts International Society.
A consummate athlete, Sarno trained himself to surf 15- to 20-foot waves.
"He was never afraid. Anything dangerous and exciting, he went for it," Gallarde said.
Sarno had 19 years of combined active duty and reservist time in the Army and planned to retire after his 20th year, next October. He wanted to move back to Hawai'i and open a karate shop.
Sarno's son, Cameron "BJ" Takeuchi, himself a soldier, was in Afghanistan at the time of Sarno's death. Takeuchi returned to Hawai'i for his father's services.
Relatives are petitioning the Army to allow Takeuchi to finish his tour at Schofield Barracks. Gallarde will remain in Las Vegas through Monday in order to settle Sarno's personal affairs.
Gallarde said Sarno used to call every other day during his deployment.
"He would tell me, 'Let's hope for the best but prepare for the worst.' He said it every time we talked," Gallarde said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com
