Man gambles life to save tourists

Twenty-six-year old Galileo “Kaily” Torwal would have joined the U.S . Navy in July of this year to pursue his dream. But the young man who was described by his peers as friendly, smart and funny will no longer be able to fulfill his ambition.

Kaily died while saving the life of visiting Japanese couple Kohei Mase, 51 and his wife Takako, 50, on Jan. 21.

Fellow employees at BSEA, Inc. where Kaily works as a boat attendant are still at a loss on how to accept the tragedy that struck the man who was loved by everyone.

It was just one of those parasailing trips with Japanese tourists which Kaily joined for his company at around 2pm. Kaily assured Kohei and Takako that they will enjoy the trip and they have nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, as the couple were enjoying their ride, the boat suddenly stopped due to engine trouble, causing them to fall into the water.

Kaily immediately jumped into the water to rescue Kohei and Takako as he kept on telling them to relax and that everything will be fine. When the couple were brought safely to the boat, Kaily suddenly disappeared.

Two men jumped into the water to look for Kaily but they could not find him. A scuba diver joined the search later on, successfully found Kaily and brought him to the boat.

Takako, who works as a nurse, performed CPR to revive Kaily but the young man never responded. He was rushed to the Commonwealth Health Center where doctors later on pronounced him dead.

The Japanese couple who came all the way from Nagoya, Japan for their first trip to Saipan were devastated. “I am very proud of him and I thanked him for saving us,” says Kohei who was trying to hold back his tears.

Yesterday afternoon, the couple joined the employees of BSEA, Inc., and its sister company Saipan Sunset Cruise, who gathered for a prayer service in this time of grief.

Eric Lester, operations manager of BSEA, Inc., brought the staff to the area where Kaily drowned and offered flowers. “I found his military ID and the three words I read there will sum up Kaily’s qualities — honor, courage and commitment,” says Eric.

“It is such a terrible tragedy because he had a lot to live for. He is intelligent, smart, very friendly, honest and so full of life. He is just an excellent example of what the people in the industry should be like,” says Capt. Michael Stiefel, President of Saipan Sunset Cruise.

Kaily worked for Saipan Sunset Cruise for two years before he transferred to its sister company BSEA, Inc., where he stayed for another two years. Ambitious and hardworking, Kaily was also working on his accounting degree at the Northern Marianas College.

His fellow workers were not surprised at all when they heard that Kaily died saving the life of the Japanese couple. “He was just a good guy who will really do anything for you and for his job,” says Natividad Dela Cruz, assistant general manager, Saipan Sunset Cruise.