"There were more than 140,000 American, European, and Australian prisoners in Japanese Prisoner Of War camps" (HistoryOnTheNet). Of these, one in three died from starvation, work, punishments, or from diseases. Louis Zamperini was a survivor of these dreadful camps. Throughout his life, Zamperini exemplifies what it means to have moral courage.
Louis Zamperini was born on January 26th, 1917, in Olean, New York. He grew up in Torrance, California where he smoke, drank, and stole on a regular basis. After attempting to run away from Torrance, Zamperini joined his high school track team. He focused his energy and time into running, and not long after joining, he started to win. "In 1934, Louis set the national high school mile record of 4:12, which stood for an unbelievable 20 years" (Biography.com). "This feat generated the attention of the University of Southern California and gave Louis a scholarship." Louis then spent the next year training for the 1936 Olympic …show more content…
During his time in the POW camps, Zamperini was pronounced dead by the United States Military. In California, Louis found a girl named Cynthia Applewhite. Zamperini and Applewhite soon got married. Scarred by his time in the camps, Zamperini suffered from alcoholism, severe hallucinations and dreams, and he and his wife came close to a divorce. As they were about to give up, Cynthia told Zamperini about an evangelist, Billy Graham, that is preaching nearby. Billy Graham's sermon introduced Zamperini to God and began his healing process. During Louis' time in the raft, he prayed to God saying that he would "dedicate his life to Him" if He let Zamperini live. Remembering this promise, Louis dedicated his life to God. Louis visited Japan, where he forgave his captors. Louis wanted to meet "The Bird" and forgive him, but Mutsuhiro Watanabe refused to meet with him. Louie Zamperini died on July 2nd. 2014
Louis Zamperini was born on January 26th, 1917, in Olean, New York. He grew up in Torrance, California where he smoke, drank, and stole on a regular basis. After attempting to run away from Torrance, Zamperini joined his high school track team. He focused his energy and time into running, and not long after joining, he started to win. "In 1934, Louis set the national high school mile record of 4:12, which stood for an unbelievable 20 years" (Biography.com). "This feat generated the attention of the University of Southern California and gave Louis a scholarship." Louis then spent the next year training for the 1936 Olympic …show more content…
During his time in the POW camps, Zamperini was pronounced dead by the United States Military. In California, Louis found a girl named Cynthia Applewhite. Zamperini and Applewhite soon got married. Scarred by his time in the camps, Zamperini suffered from alcoholism, severe hallucinations and dreams, and he and his wife came close to a divorce. As they were about to give up, Cynthia told Zamperini about an evangelist, Billy Graham, that is preaching nearby. Billy Graham's sermon introduced Zamperini to God and began his healing process. During Louis' time in the raft, he prayed to God saying that he would "dedicate his life to Him" if He let Zamperini live. Remembering this promise, Louis dedicated his life to God. Louis visited Japan, where he forgave his captors. Louis wanted to meet "The Bird" and forgive him, but Mutsuhiro Watanabe refused to meet with him. Louie Zamperini died on July 2nd. 2014