Louis S Zamperini

Louis S Zamperini (https://www.google.com/search?q=Louis+Zamperini&es ())

As a man once quoted, "To persevere is important to everybody. Don't give up, don't give in. There is always an answer to everything." This man is saying that never give up because there is always an answer to your goals and dreams. Louis Zamperini was born in Olean, New York, and his family was poor. After nearly put in jail time for troubling actions as a child, with the inspiration of his brother, Louis became an  athlete setting a record in his High School and his College of USC. He qualified for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, when he got to shake hands with Adolf Hitler, and also set the record for the fastest final lap in the Olympics. After the Olympics, he enlisted as a Bombardier in the Army. Later his plane crashing and surviving for 47 days, until he later went to multiple POW camps in Japan, where he gotten brutally beat and tortured, but never killed him because the Japanese saw him as a propaganda tool. Troubled with depression and alcoholism after the war, he later regained his faith, and founded the Victory Boys Camp, where he talk about his life experience. He also held the Olympic torch three times, and has a book and movie about his life.  Louis Zamperini lived a great life, and through his life he inspired others. Zamperini's actions, determination, and perseverance, makes him an inspiration to all of us because he pushed through the adversity, and  no matter how horrible the pain was, he came out stronger with determination, making him a hero.

Zamperini enlisted to the US Air Force in 1941 (http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recor ())

No matter what the experience, and the pain he was in, Zamperini kept pushing, and came out stronger through determination. Zamperini was in PoW camps in Japan after his airplane crashed. "In the POW camps, Zamperini endured beatings, other forms of punishment, and, worst of all to him, attempts to destroy his dignity. He survived by drawing on the inner strength and self-discipline that he had developed as an athlete" ("Louis Zamperini" Newsmakers). Louis Zamperini was captured and beaten for 2 years, and was able to recover from the adversity. Louis is an inspiration to all of us because he shows that if he can survive the impossible, then the common person can persevere and try to become unbroken like Louis, and came out stronger through determination. Also, "...on May 27, 1943: A worn B-24 called the Green Hornet crashed after two engines failed and exploded as it hit the water. Zamperini found himself underwater, wrapped in wires, but he managed to force himself through a hole in the plane's fuselage and make his way to the gasoline-slicked surface and inflate his life jacket. Zamperini and two other crewmen found a life raft and climbed in; the other eight crewmen had been killed. The three survivors fired flares and put out dye markers when search planes passed over the next two days, but they were missed by the searchers" ("Louis Zamperini" Encyclopedia).  Even though his comrades had been killed, and they have no hope of finding help, Zamperini never gave up, and he encouraged the others to keep on pushing and hope for the best no matter how much pain they are in.  During flying his airplane , "... Zamperini's plane suffered mechanical failure and crashed into the ocean. Of the 11 men aboard, only Zamperini and two other airmen survived the crash-but help was nowhere to be found, and the men were stranded on a raft together for 47 days. The month and a half at sea proved harrowing for the survivors, as they were subjected to the unrelenting sun, strafing runs by Japanese bombers, circling sharks and little drinking water. To survive, they collected rainwater and killed birds that happened to land on the raft" ("Louis Zamperini" Biography). Once again, Louis sees triumph of what he gets through the determination he has. With the examples listed of what they encountered on his survival, he truly determined and pushed to survive, getting weak with no food and water, but growing stronger in his heart and dignity. Louis has been through so much pain in his life, that he has survived things that the common man cannot survive, because of the strength and determination he learned as an athlete.

Louis finishing a race for his college USC (https://www.google.com/search?q=Louis+Zamperini&es ())

Louis Zamperini had many ups and downs, but through the adversity he pushed himself to the best of his capabilities. Louis Zamperini was a pilot in World War 2,  and  "The three survivors fired flares and put out dye markers when search planes passed over the next two days, but they were missed by the searchers. The three men remained at sea for 47 days, during which one crewman, Francis McNamara, died and was buried at sea". ("Louis Zamperini" Encyclopedia). With the loss of his comrade, Zamperini felt like the world is falling apart, and everything would get worse from there. But Louis knew that he had to survive because life is a value, and you don't get a second chance. Zamperini was also a Olympic runner, and qualifying the Berlin Olympics was his dream. Also, "In 1936 Zamperini made the United States Olympic team in the 5,000-meter run, qualifying after finishing in a dead heat with world record holder Don Lash in the tryout finals in New York. At the Olympics in Berlin, Germany, his roommate was the famed sprinter Jesse Owens. Five thousand meters was not Zamperini's best distance, and he finished eighth in the race, but he attracted attention with a blistering 56-second pace in his final lap" ("Louis Zamperini" Encyclopedia). Even though Louis did not place in the race, Louis persevered and ran as fast as he could in the final lap, placing in 8th and also setting the record for the fasted lap of 56 seconds. His perseverance made him recognized in the Olympics and also to the common people. With his life having ups, Louis also had some downs. "Returning to the United States, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, was plagued by nightmares, and became an alcoholic. In the process, his marriage to his wife, Cynthia, nearly ended. Hearing a sermon by Billy Graham in 1949 helped him recover, and he eventually found a career in commercial real estate" ("Louis Zamperini" Newsmakers). After the war, Zamperini found the bad of the world and decided to go to alcoholism, and nearly ended the marriage of his wife. With perseverance, Louis was able to recover from his addiction and eventually got his life back on his feet. Louie had no control in his life. From torture to depression, it seemed that there was no hope, but Louis found the light in the tunnel and pushed himself through the adversity. All of the adversity in his life, and coming out stronger than ever, makes him a hero.

Louis Zamperini had many ups and downs, but he never thought of the bad, no matter how much stress he had, and used it as a motivation to push himself to never surrender his dignity. He showed us that we can do anything if we put determination into it and also that we should be grateful for the lives we have, because most of us will never go through the roller coaster Louis had in his life. I believe that Louis is a hero, because he inspires me that I can do anything I set my mind to, if I put a perseverant attitude toward it. He is an inspiration because he never surrendered against hardship, and survived the unimaginable. "To persevere is important to everybody. Don't give up, don't give in. There is always an answer to everything." -Louis Zamperini.

Works Cited

Louis Zamperini." Encyclopedia of World Biography, vol. 36, Gale, 2016. Biography in Context,                 

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631010553/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=65651243.Accessed 17 Jan. 2017.

"Louis Zamperini." Newsmakers, vol. 1, Gale, 2016. Biography in Context,            

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618006451/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=ce0351cb.    Accessed 18 Jan. 2017.

"Louis Zamperini." Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 Dec. 2014,

           www.biography.com/people/louis-zamperini.

Cameron, Ann. "Louis Zamperini." Louis Zamperini (2011): 1. Biography Reference Center.