Louis Zamperini

Louie after raid on Nauruhttps://unwritten-record.blogs.archives.govOne year he is racing around a track at world record speeds, chasing the Olympic dream. The next year he is floating on a raft in shark infested waters, thousands of miles away from help and land. The next he weighs 70 pounds and is holding a wooden beam over his head with the threat of death driving him onwards. His name is Louis Silvie Zamperini and he has lived an incredible life. He was born on January 26, 1917 in Olean, New York. He moved to the city of Torrance and grew up to be a high school track star, this blazed the trail to the Berlin Olympic games in 1936. After the 1940 Olympics were canceled, his pursuit of gold in the event faded and he decided to join the Army Air corps. His plane crashed in the ocean and he drifted for 47 days before being captured by the Japanese. He endured two years of torture in the prison camps of Japan. After the war he returned to make peace with his captors. He also demonstrated some key character traits throughout his life. Perseverance is when you never surrender even when all odds are against you. Forgiveness is when you find it in your heart to make peace with someone who has wronged you. Louis Zamperini is a hero for his perseverance in the face of adversity and for his forgiveness for his captors and others who have wronged him.

Louie on the trackhttp://bringbackthemile.com Louis Zamperini's character and perseverance are shown by the time he spent on the track and at war. Going into high school Zamperini wasn't exactly a star athlete, in fact his first performance was abysmal, "...Louie found himself standing on the track, barefoot, for a 660-yard race. When everyone ran, he followed, churning along with jimmying elbows and dropping far behind. As he labored home last, he heard tittering. Gasping and humiliated, he ran straight off the track..." (Hillenbrand 89). On his first track race he lost horribly, this shows he wasn't gifted when he became a track star. This shows that he was willing to practice and persevere to improve his performance on the track. This mindset would continue to help him later on in life. Because of his hard work, he was able to break record after record and even qualify for the 1936 Olympics in the five thousand meters. Another example of Louie's exemplary perseverance in his life is shown by his time in the prison camps of Japan, "...he had Zamperini hold a heavy wooden beam above his head and threatened to shoot him if he dropped it; on another, he forced Zamperini and other American prisoners to punch each other until they were nearly all knocked unconscious" (Andrews 6). These few examples are just some of the things Zamperini and other prisoners were forced to do during their time in the prison camps of Japan. These things are horrific, especially when these men were nearly a hundred pounds underweight and were barely surviving without the constant abuse. This shows how Zamperini never gave up during his two years of captivity. How he persevered through thick and thin, which is a true testament to his character. Louis Zamperini is an incredible man for having endured all of these hardships that no one should ever have to go through. He demonstrates his heroism through his character and his character through his personality.

Louie back in Japanhttps://www.wingclips.com One of the things that make Zamperini a hero is his ability to forgive others who have committed bad or in many cases nefarious acts towards him. He shows his ability to forgive when he finds it in his heart to return to Japan to forgive his detainers from the war, "Zamperini travelled to Japan, where he sought out many of his captors, speaking to them of his forgiveness and his faith, and in several instances, speaking for clemency on their behalf" (Cameron 4). This quote shows why he is a hero, he made his way from America to Japan to meet those who beat him, tortured him, and starved him. When he made it to them in Japan he displays his heart by making peace with them. Not only did he make peace with his former captors, he spoke of mercy on their behalf. Showing that not only does he forgive them, he believes that everyone should move on from the past, to show compassion towards those who abused him and other soldiers. After hearing a preacher by the name of Billy Graham he devoted his life to speaking around the country about love and forgiveness, "The postwar nightmares caused my life to crumble, but thanks to a confrontation with God through the evangelist Billy Graham, I committed my life to Christ. Love replaced the hate I had for you" (Zamperini 9). In this quote Zamperini describes how once he heard what Graham had to say he was moved. Devoting his life to teaching forgiveness, in a way he is passing down what has made him a hero to the average American. By teaching love and forgiveness he is starting a chain reaction of good character. This then makes the world a place with more small heroes and an overall better place to be. Louie's heart is filled with love and forgiveness. From traveling across the Earth to forgive the prison guards who tortured and starved him for two years. To making his way across the America to teach others about forgiveness and compassion.

In conclusion Louis Zamperini is a hero for his perseverance in the face of adversity and for his forgiveness for those who have wronged him. He exhibits perseverance all throughout his life, his track career, floating in a raft for 47 days, his years of captivity, and even in his quest to preach love across the country. He also shows forgiveness when he is able to absolve his former captors for the things they did to him. Louis is a huge inspiration to many because of all of the things he did in his incredible life. He managed to compete in the Olympics in 1936, he survived 47 days at sea only to be subject to two years of malnourishment and torture. Yet after all of this he still returns to Japan to make peace with his captors. "...his family said the man who had overcome insurmountable odds at every turn in his life had faced his greatest challenge - a life-threatening case of pneumonia. They said Zamperini's courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in his last days" (Corley 11). This man has lived through predicaments nobody should ever be put through. Louie is an incredible person and he held true to what makes him a hero even through his very last days.