Louis Zamperini

Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran, an Olympic distance runner and a Christian evangelist.He took up running in high school and qualified for the United States in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finishing 8th while setting a new lap record in the process.He was taken to a total of four different prisoner-of-war camps in Japan, where he was tortured and beaten by Japanese military personnel—specifically including Mutsuhiro Watanabe—because of Zamperini's status as a famous Olympic runner.In those days, athletes had to pay their way to the Olympic trials, but since his father worked for the railroad, Louis could get a train ticket free of charge.The competition for the 1,500 meters spot was fierce that year, with eventual silver medalist Glenn Cunningham, Archie San Romani, and Gene Venzke all challenging to get on the team.Zamperini later related several anecdotes from his Olympic experience, including gorging himself on the boat trip to Europe: "I was a Depression-era kid who had never even been to a drugstore for a sandwich in his life," he said, "and all the food was free.While the weight gain was not advantageous for his running, it was necessary for his health, as he had lost 15 pounds (7 kg) while training in the summer heat in New York for the Olympic Trials."[2] After graduating from USC in 1940, Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet in September 1941[15] and earned a commission as a second lieutenant.The May 4 New York Times credited Zamperini with administering first aid to the five wounded members of his Liberator bomber crew and saving the lives of two on the return flight from the April 21 Nauru raid."Ground crewmen counted 594[16] bullet and shell fragment holes in the fuselage and tail structure of the big four-engine bomber after it had skidded to a stop with a flat tire.[19] On 27 May 1943, while on the search, mechanical difficulties caused the bomber to crash into the ocean 850 miles (1,370 km) south[20] of Oahu, killing eight of the 11 men aboard.[21] The three survivors were Zamperini, pilot Russell Allen Phillips and Francis McNamara; with little food and no water, they subsisted on rainwater, small fish eaten raw, and birds that landed on their raft.[21][24] On their 47th day adrift, with little food or water, Zamperini and Phillips reached the Marshall Islands and were immediately taken prisoner by the Japanese Navy.Initially held at Kwajalein Atoll, after 42 days they were transferred to the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp at Ōfuna, for captives who were not registered as prisoners of war (POWs).While at Omori and Naoetsu, he was tormented by prison guard Mutsuhiro "The Bird" Watanabe, who was later included in General Douglas MacArthur's list of the forty most wanted war criminals in Japan.[30] In a televised interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network in 2003, Zamperini related that after the war, he had nightmares about strangling his former captors and began drinking heavily, trying to forget his experiences as a POW.[36] Zamperini appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 7, 2012, speaking about his life in general, the 1936 Olympics, and his World War II exploits.[40][41] Author Laura Hillenbrand[42] wrote a biography of Zamperini entitled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010) and published by Random House, was a #1 New York Times bestseller.[46] On March 17, 2024, Internet horror artist Doctor Nowhere uploaded a video titled ‘’The Boiled One Phenomenon’’[1], with a section loosely based on the story of Louis Zamperini.
Zamperini wearing a Torrance High School track uniform, 1938
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Japanese-occupied Nauru Island under attack by Liberator bombers of the Seventh Air Corps, April 1943.
Zamperini examines a hole in his B-24D Liberator Super Man made by a 20 mm shell over Nauru.
Zamperini at the announcement of 2014 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal
Louis Zamperini Plaza on the campus of the University of Southern California
Zamperini Stadium at Torrance High School
Croatian Composers' SocietyOlean, New YorkLos Angeles, CaliforniaAlma materTrack and fieldMiddle-distance runningUniversity of Southern CaliforniaOlympic finals1936 Berlin5000 m800 m1500 mMile runU.S. Army Air ForcesCaptain372nd Bomb SquadronWorld War IIDistinguished Flying CrossevangelistBerlin OlympicsUnited States Army Air ForcesB-24 LiberatorsMarshall Islandsprisoner-of-war campsMutsuhiro WatanabebiographicalUnbrokenCaptured by GraceVeronaLong Beach, CaliforniaTorranceTorrance High SchoolEnglishGlenn CunninghamCIF California State MeetscholarshipOlympic trials1,500 metersArchie San RomaniGene Venzke5,000 meters1936 North American heat waveRandalls Island, New YorkNorm BrightAmerican recordDon Lash1936 Summer OlympicsBerlin, Germany1936 OlympicsLauri Lehtinen5,000-meter distance event at that OlympicsAdolf HitlerKappa SigmacollegiateJapanese-occupied Nauru Islandsecond lieutenantFunafutibombardierConsolidated B-24 LiberatoralbatrossesstrafedJapanese NavyKwajalein Atollprisoner-of-war campŌfunaMutsuhiro "The Bird" WatanabeDouglas MacArthurGreg "Pappy" Boyingtonkilled in actionpost-traumatic stress disorderBilly GrahamLos Angeles CrusadesChristianChristian Broadcasting Networkevangelistic crusadesborn-again ChristianSugama PrisonWinter OlympicsNaganoMitsuhiro Watanabewar criminalBerlin Olympic StadiumMatt BarkleyThe Tonight Show with Jay Lenomistakenly been announcedUS governmentFranklin D. RooseveltpneumoniaLaura HillenbrandUnbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and RedemptionNew York Times bestsellerTime MagazineCoen brothersAngelina JolieJack O'ConnellHarold CronkPresidential Unit CitationBombardier BadgePurple Heartoak leaf clusterAir MedalPrisoner of War MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalservice starsWorld War II Victory MedalPhilippine Liberation MedalMadison Square GardenTorrance AirportZamperini Field1984 Summer Olympic GamesLos Angeles1998 Winter GamesEllis Island Medal of HonorNational Italian American Sports Hall of FameChicago, IllinoisDoctor of Humane LettersAzusa Pacific UniversityBryant UniversityRed SoxFenway ParkKappa Sigma 68th Biennial Grand ConclaveLas Vegas, NevadaTravelerclass exemplar405 FreewayWestern AvenueFour-minute mileList of people who disappeared mysteriously at seaEl Cholo Spanish CafeLos Angeles TimesThe Hollywood ReporterDepartment of StateE.P. Dutton and CompanyWilliam MorrowYouTubeNBCUniversalBBC NewsHillenbrand, Laura1936 United States Olympic trials (track and field)Ellison "Tarzan" BrownHarold CagleErnest CrosbieGlen DawsonTom DeckardFoy DraperAl FitchGlenn HardinChuck HornbostelJohnny KelleyErnest KoehlerJames LuValleAlbert ManganHarold ManningJoe McCluskeyBilly McMahonRalph MetcalfeEddie O'BrienJesse OwensBob PackardJoe PattersonEino PenttiFritz PollardMack RobinsonDale SchofieldHarold SmallwoodRoy StaleyForrest TownsArchie WilliamsHarry WilliamsonJohn WoodruffStanley WudykaFrank WykoffBob YoungDave AlbrittonLee BartlettJohn BrooksBilly BrownKen CarpenterBob ClarkHenry DreyerGordon DunnDon FavorSam FrancisBill GraberCornelius JohnsonEarle MeadowsMalcolm MetcalfGlenn MorrisJack ParkerRolland RomeroBill RoweBill SeftonAlton TerryDelos ThurberJack TorranceDudley WilkinsWalter WoodDimitri ZaitzHarriet BlandAnne O'BrienTidye PickettBetty RobinsonAnnette RogersSimone SchallerHelen StephensAlice ArdenBetty BurchEvelyn FerraraKathlyn KelleyGertrude WilhelmsenMartha WorstMarty GlickmanLouise StokesSam StollerLawson RobertsonDean CromwellBrutus HamiltonDee BoeckmannBilly Graham CrusadesBilly Graham Evangelistic AssociationEvangelismCliff BarrowsBMS World MissionBob Jones UniversityFirst International Congress on World EvangelizationLausanne CovenantFlorida Bible InstituteMordecai HamLausanne Committee for World EvangelizationLos Angeles Crusade (1949)Henrietta MearsNorthwestern Bible CollegeBettie PageRobert SchullerGeorge Beverly SheaUrbanaWheaton CollegeGrady WilsonYouth for ChristChristianity TodayHour of DecisionMr. TexasWorld Wide PicturesMan in the 5th DimensionTwo a PennyBorn AgainRuth GrahamGigi GrahamAnne Graham LotzFranklin GrahamTullian TchividjianWill GrahamL. Nelson BellBilly Graham LibraryBilly Graham ruleEvangelicalismJust as I AmProtestantismSinner's prayerSouthern Baptist ConventionStatue of Billy GrahamNCAA Inspiration AwardDiane Geppi-AikensTodd WilliamsJohn DoarJim MacLaren2007 B.U. baseball teamJill CostelloApril HolmesO. J. BriganceLauren HillPete FratesJim KellyShaquem GriffinMaggie NicholsRocky BleierChaunté LoweBob GrantSteve GleasonEsera Tuaolo