Louis Zamperini

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"Never give up, no matter what."(Zamperini) This quote by Louis Zamperini summarizes his life, because it was filled with hardships that he had to overcome. Louis Zamperini was born in Olean, New York, on January 26, 1917. As a child, Louis suffered through pneumonia and was made fun of in school because he couldn't run. After Louis' older brother, Pete, had heard the track coach say Louis had no business running, Pete decided he would train Louis. He forced Louis to run everyday, and soon enough, Louis went from the last person to finish a race, to being the most likely contender to break the four minute mile. Louis died at the age of 97 from his pneumonia.  He was an Olympian, World War II veteran, and inspirational speaker. A hero must be determined and brave. They must be able to survive through obstacles and forgive people who have done them wrong. Louis Zamperini was a hero because he worked hard to achieve his dreams, and showed perseverance and forgiveness when and after he was captured by the Japanese.

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One trait that made Louis Zamperini a hero was that he was hardworking because he trained and practiced running to enter into the Olympics, and had a chance of winning the one after that. Lois had been training non stop for the Olympics. Hillenbrand said..."Louie trained so hard that he rubbed the skin right off one of his toes, leaving his sock bloody."(Hillenbrand) Louis had trained as hard as he could to get prepared for the Olympics in Berlin. He ran so much and so often, he ripped the skin off his feet. After all of his training, he finished the 5,000 meter race eighth, but had the fastest last lap in history at the time. "At 19, he ran the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin despite mere weeks of training at that distance. He missed a medal but, in his determination to catch the leaders, ran his last lap in an astonishing 56 seconds."(Leopold) After Louis' intense training, he was able to run his final lap in under a minute. After the race, Zamperini shook hands with Hitler. Hitler had called Louis, "the boy with the fast finish." Louis had shown hard work throughout his training for the Olympics by running hard and finishing his lap for the 1936 Olympics in 56 seconds.

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Another heroic trait Louis had was his perseverance, because he had trained his body to live past his childhood pneumonia. He also survived through the time he and Phillips were stranded on a raft. Louis showed perseverance when he overcame his pneumonia by expanding his lungs. In Unbroken, Hillenbrand said... "To expand his lung capacity, Louie ran to the public pool at Redondo Beach, dove to the bottom, grabbed the drain plug, and just floated there, hanging on a little longer each time. Eventually, he could stay underwater for three minutes and forty-five seconds."(Hillenbrand) This quote shows how Louis fought his disease by expanding his lungs. He did this so he could run like his brother, Pete. He had persevered through obstacles so that he could achieve his dream of running. Louis also had the dream to survive when he was stranded on the raft with Phillips. He showed perseverance by... "Zamperini and Phillips survived on rain water and whatever fish they could catch. Famished and besieged by sharks, they kept their wits with mental exercises."("Louis Zamperini." Gale) This quote shows that Louis was determined to survive and showed perseverance through obstacles. He fought sharks and, when a seagull landed on the raft, killed it for its meat so he and Phillips could have food. Louis showed perseverance by fighting through obstacles such as his pneumonia and being stranded on a raft.

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Louis was forgiving because he chose to forgive his captors after he was free. Louis had forgiven his captors, Leopold says... "He also forgave his wartime tormentors, some of them in person during a 1950 visit to a Tokyo prison where they were serving sentences for war crimes."(Leopold) This shows his forgiveness because most people would hate their captors, but Louis had forgiven them. In her biography about Louis, Unbroken, Hillenbrand says... "At that moment, something shifted sweetly inside him. It was forgiveness, beautiful and effortless and complete."(Hillenbrand) Zamperini had forgiven his captors because he didn't believe in staying angry at them. He believed that everyone has a bright side, so he neglected their evil. Louis had forgiven his captors and looked at their bright sides, and not their evil.

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Zamperini showed perseverance through his capture and forgiveness after, and showed hard work through his training for the Olympics. Louis had worked hard to get into the 1936 Olympics, he had shown perseverance when he worked to survive on the raft, and he forgave his kidnappers after he was freed. Louis was an inspiration because when he set his mind to something, he did it. He also had forgiven his captors which shows integrity. Louis Zamperini was a hero to me because he inspires me to work hard to achieve my dreams and to never give up, even when life gets hard. He taught the world that no matter how many obstacles we face, we can always persevere.