Sal Guarriello - Early Life

Early Life

Salvatore Joseph Guarriello, son of Generorso and Virginia, was born March 2, 1919 in the New York City borough of Manhattan,in New York state. Sal Guarriello was the fifth of six siblings; he had one sister who was the eldest, and four brothers. He was born into a Catholic, Italian family originally from Avellino; a city near Naples in southwest Italy.

At age eighteen, Guarriello began working as a guard with the U.S. Marshalls transporting prisoners to federal penitentiaries from New York City to Louisburg, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia. At nineteen, Guarriello became a lifeguard securing and overseeing the Island Park Beach, also known as Casino Beach.

At age twenty, Guarriello decided to delve further into new ventures. He considered working for the manufacturing industry. He quickly got a position in the soldering department of a renowned lamp manufacturing enterprise. Shortly after, he was recruited by a larger establishment known as Sperry Gyroscope (Sperry Corporation), a company which manufactured gauges and instruments for U.S. fighter planes. While working for Sperry Gyroscope, he met Rita Gionta, an inspector who represented the Navy’s division. Gionta was the inspector who overlooked Guarriello’s quality control department. Guarriello and Rita were married on November 21, 1943.

His career in the manufacturing industry was short-lived because in January 1944, two months before his twenty-fifth birthday, Guarriello was drafted into the US Military service in the Second World War.