The Biography Of Louie Zamperini

From bad boy to hero, Louie Zamperini has gone through incredible experiences in his 97 years of living. From adolescence to adulthood, his experiences are even described as inspirational to most people. During these horrific times, he even promised to devote his life to God. All of these lessons learned from Louie’s past occurrences can be obliging to everyone. Born to Italian immigrants, Louis did not speak any English. This made him an easy target for the local bullies. His father taught him how to box to defend himself.

He took great pride in defending himself, he became the bully. Louie Zamperini was always in trouble and was the main culprit of the mischievous behavior most of the time. He was smoking by age 5 and drinking by age 8. Stealing from others and running away from home is what he did. His older brother convinced him to straighten out his behavior and join the high school track team. He was an instant star.

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He set high school records for his running ability. He competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He wanted to pursue college in athletics and train to run in the 1940 Olympics, but the war had started and the Olympics were cancelled.

Shortly after, in 1941, he joined the Army Air Corps as a Lieutenant. Louie would be a bombardier for the Americans in World War II. Louie was put on a plane called a B-24 Liberator, with 8 other man to fight against the Japanese. The men name their plane “Super Man”. The crew of “Super Man” was called out on a search and rescue on one of their missing plane.

Their plane had mechanical difficulties and spiraled down, plunging into the ocean. Only three out of the eight crew members survived. They had barely any supplies and were on a life raft fighting for their lives. Many search parties were sent out, but the men were never found. They needed to survive, they fished for food. Also, sharks were constantly circling around the raft. Louie was living a real nightmare. Louie said, that if he makes it out alive, he would give his life to God. This is a lesson everyone should learn. After 47 days of being stranded, Louie and Phil were picked up by a Japanese boat at gun point. They are sent to seperate POW camp, where they both thought they would be toutured to death. They were riddled with abuse. Louie was sent to numerous POW camps over a course of two years. He was brutally beaten and was even close to dying as a result of some beatings. He endured psychological and physical abuse that would haunt him for years.

The Japanese surrendered in 1945 and released all prisoners. Louie was reunited with family and married in 1946. He tried to kill the pain and memories with alcohol. His wife, by his side, took him to see Bill Graham in 1949. This would change his life forever. Hearing Billy Graham’s inspirational stories gave Louie some peace. He had finally incorporated God into his experiences. He did said, that if he were to make it out of the situation alive, he would devote his life to God. Louie did not fulfill that promise until he met Billy Graham. He gave his life to God and became a Christian Evangelist. The world considers Zamperini’s experiences inspirational, in which, they are. Even though, most people in the world will never have to endure what Louie did, he will definitely inspire people for years to come. This shows people to never give up. Louie knew he was going to come out of that alive due to his faith. He showed courage like no other person would have shown. During these hard times, Louie stayed positive, knowing negative thoughts would get him nowhere but death. Louie Zamperini has gone through so much in his lifetime. He has taught so many lessons and is an inspiration to so many people around the world. His stories will be shared and heard for many years to come.