“Unbroken” Louis Zamperini passes

Louis Zamperini, an American Olympian, a bomber crew member, a POW of the Japanese passed at the age of 97 yesterday according to the New York Times. Mr. Zamperini competed at the Berlin Olympics in 1936, joined the Army Air Corps after the war started. In mid-1944, his bomber went down in the Pacific and his family was told that he died. In reality he floated in a rubber raft for 47 days until he was rescued and then imprisoned by the Japanese;

“For one thing, you have to learn self-discipline if you are going to succeed as an athlete,” he said. “For another thing, you have to have confidence in yourself and believe that no matter what you’re faced with, you can deal with it — that you just can’t give up. And then there’s the aspect of staying in shape. And humor helped a lot, even in the gravest times.”

In 1945, at the war’s end, Mr. Zamperini was liberated along with hundreds of other prisoners of war at the Naoetsu camp, northwest of Tokyo. “Though he was still sick, wasted and weak, he glowed with euphoria such as he had never experienced,” [his biographer, Laura Hillenbrand] wrote.

His biography, “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” is being made into movie scheduled for release in December.

The Zamperini family released this statement, according to Fox News;

“He recently faced the greatest challenge of his life with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. After a 40-day long battle for his life, he peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives. His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these days,” the statement said.

Thanks to John for the link.

Category: Blue Skies