Louis Zamperini, Olympic champ, POW, movie hero and much more, dies

zwiebel

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
27,184
Reaction score
504
This gentleman was a gentleman and an inspiration to anyone struggling to work their way through great trauma. WW2, Pearl Harbor, missing at sea, POW, drink problems later...he had it all. The Hollywood movie about him has also just been completed.

'Louis Zamperini, the Olympic runner and World War II officer who survived a horrific plane crash, a seven-week journey across the Pacific in a raft, near starvation and unspeakable torture in Japanese POW camps, has died'

Angelina Jolie said "It's a loss impossible to describe' but I prefer this tribute, which made me cry:

' I will never forget our last, laughing talk, your singsong 'I love you! I love you!' and the words you whispered to me when you last hugged me goodbye, words that left me in happy tears, words that I will remember forever. I will love you and miss you to the end of my days. Godspeed, sweet Louie." '

http://m.kmbc.com/entertainment/Zam...gn=kmbc&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

http://ktla.com/2014/07/03/louis-za...as-2015-rose-parade-grand-marshal-dies-at-97/

Rest in peace, bravery and kindness, Mr Zamperini.
 
This. For people who know anything about sport. From the kmbc link above.

'At 19, he ran the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin despite mere weeks of training at that distance. He missed a medal but, in his determination to catch the leaders, ran his last lap in an astonishing 56 seconds.'

ETA: Note the date. 1936.
 
This. For people who know anything about sport. From the kmbc link above.

'At 19, he ran the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin despite mere weeks of training at that distance. He missed a medal but, in his determination to catch the leaders, ran his last lap in an astonishing 56 seconds.'

ETA: Note the date. 1936.

I read the book, Unbroken, and I was totally fascinated by the athletics part. My sons were involved in 'track' (yes, that is what we gauche people here in North America call 'Athletics') and it is truly amazing what Louis accomplished at his young age. It is a shame that he never got to compete in the 1940 Olympics. Well, I guess it is really more of a shame that he had to survive torture and that our supposed "humanity" reared its ugly head.

Louis Zamperini...one cool and inspiring individual!

If anyone picks up the book, check out the photo of LZ skateboarding in his 80s!!
 
I read his biography last year and was very inspired by it. He had some tough times but I am so glad that he was able to live to 97 and his last decades were good and he was active. He lived longer than his jailers.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
182
Guests online
2,269
Total visitors
2,451

Forum statistics

Threads
589,984
Messages
17,928,651
Members
228,032
Latest member
Taylor Sage
Back
Top