Louis Zamperini
by Tyler from Riley
Louis Zamperini is a
perfect example of a man that never gave up, no matter how hard the situation
got. He survived 47 days at sea and was put into numerous POW camps. As a star
athlete with a promising future ahead of him, the last thing he expected to be
was a war hero and live to tell his inspiring story.
As Louis grew into a teenager, he took his
hyper and energetic attitude and put it towards long distance running. Louis
was naturally a great runner, and he earned attention at his high school and to
future colleges. He set the interscholastic time for the mile, and it got him a
scholarship at the University of Southern California. At the young age of 18,
he made the 1936 team for the Olympics that would be held in Berlin. Zamperini
finished in eighth place in the 5000 meter run. Many people thought of him as a
young kid that had a lot of raw talent that had the possibility to become a
champion with maturity and higher training. As time went on, Zamperini would find
training in a different form (Andrews).
After the attack on
Pearl Harbor from Japan, the United States Declared war on Japan, and a draft
in the US was issued. Zamperini found himself in the bombardier academy. After
training, he went on 7 missions, escaping death a couple of times before being
shot down and stranded in the ocean on May 27, 1943. Only he and two other men
survived out of the 11-man crew. On the 27th day in the ocean, a
Japanese bomber flew by and attempted to shoot the three men, but they dove
into the sea to avoid bullets. Six days later one of the men died from
starvation. Only Louis and one other man were alive, and after drifting 2000
miles at sea over a cruel 47 days, the men landed on the Marshall Islands. The
men were severely malnourished. "We were so weak," stated Zamperini, "we could
barely stand. My normal weight of 165 pounds had dropped to 79 pounds." Even
though the two men had conquered an amazing feat, they would both have to
survive more hard times (Jacobs).
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After Zamperini landed
on the Marshall Islands, the Japanese quickly found the men and brought them to
POW, or Prisoner of War, camps. Zamperini was held on the island for 42 days,
with one meal a day in a wooden box cell. From then he was moved from place to
place. He was overworked, abused, and tested on from doctors. Zamperini was
abused more than the other men because he had a tough attitude, and because he
was known to be a good athlete. One day the man in charge of the POW camp he
was at made Zamperini, who was malnourished and weak, run around the camp
against his guards. The boss wanted to make a fool out of Zamperini and show
his guards he was worthless. He was given the opportunity to live a better life
if he broadcasted anti-American propaganda, but he declined. Later on he would
agree to broadcast only if he wrote the script. As time went on, the suffering
came to an unexpected end when he woke up and all the guards were gone and
American planes were flying over camp, dropping food and other care packages.
Within the week the men, including Zamperini, were picked up and brought home
(Andrews).
The story of Louis
Zamperini is a story of perseverance and endurance. He kept a fighting attitude
and stayed optimistic. It helped him stay alive and survive through harsh times
that most people will never go through. He was a great Olympic athlete,
survived 47 days lost at sea, and survived years in brutal POW camps. He died
July 2, 2014 and the movie "Unbroken" was produced on behalf of his great story
and achievements.
Page created on 9/29/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last edited 9/29/2015 12:00:00 AM
The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.
Bibliography
Adrews, Evan. "8 Things You May Not Know About Louis Zamperini." War Heros.
Jacobs, Martin. "Lucky Louie Zamperini." War Stories.
