Louis Zamperini

Louis Zamperini
Occupation	Inspirational speaker

Louis S. Zamperini (born January 26, 1917 in Olean, New York) is a former American competitive runner, World War II prisoner of war survivor, and inspirational speaker.

Early Life

Louis Zamperini was born in Olean, New York to Anthony and Louise Zamperini. The Zamperini family moved to Torrance, California in the 1920s, where Louis attended Torrance High School. The son of Italian immigrants, Louis spoke no english when his family moved to California, which made him a target for bullies. His father taught Louis how to box for self-defense. Pretty soon, according to Louis, he was "beating the tar out of every one of them... But I was so good at it that I started relishing the idea of getting even. I was sort of addicted to it."

"Before long he was picking fights just to see if anyone could keep up with him. From juvenile thug, he progressed to 'teenage hobo.' Hopping a train to Mexico, he courted danger for the thrill of it. 'I caught a wild cow in a ravine and tore my kneecap till it was just hanging off,' he recalls. 'I snapped my big toe jumping out of some giant bamboo; they just sewed it back on. I’ve got so many scars, they’re criss-crossing each other!'"
(USC News, "The Great Zamperini", 2003)

Louis had a knack for getting into trouble, so his brother got him involved in the school track team. In 1934 Louis set a world interscholastic record in the mile, clocking in at 4 minutes and 21.2 seconds. The record would last for twenty years. It was that record which helped him win a scholarship to the University of Southern California, and a place on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team.

Olympic Career

In the Olympic trials at Randalls Island, Louis finished in a dead heat against world-record holder Don Lash, and qualified for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany. Unfortunately, Louis ruined his chance at gold by gorging himself on the free food that was provided to the Olympic athletes during the trans-atlantic cruise. "I was a Depression-era kid who had never even been to a drugstore for a sandwich," he said. "And all the food was free. I had not just one sweet roll, but about seven every morning, with bacon and eggs. My eyes were like saucers.” By the end of the trip, Louis had gained 12 pounds.

Louis finished eighth in the 5000 meter distance event at that Olympics, but his final lap was fast enough to catch the attention of Adolf Hitler, who insisted on a personal meeting. As Louis tells the story, Hitler shook his hand, and said simply "The boy with the fast finish."

Two years later in 1938, Zamperini set a national collegiate mile record which held for 15 years. Zamperini's speed earned him the nickname "Torrance Tornado".

Military Career

Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in September 1941, and after being commissioned a second lieutenant the following August, he was deployed to Hawaii as a B-24 bombardier. After flying a number of missions, his aircraft went down due to mechanical failure on May 27, 1943. After 47 days adrift in the ocean, Zamperini and the only other surviving crew member (pilot Russ Phillips) were rescued by the Japanese Navy. Louis was held in captivity through the end of the war and his family thought he had been killed in action, but he eventually returned to a hero's welcome; the Torrance airport was renamed Zamperini Field in 1946.

After the war, Zamperini met Billy Graham, who helped him launch a new career as a Christian inspirational speaker. One of his favorite themes is "forgiveness," and he has visited many of the guards from his POW days to let them know that he has forgiven them. He also wrote (with David Rensin) a book about his life and experiences, entitled Devil at My Heels.

For his 81st birthday in January 1998, Zamperini ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. In March 2005 he returned to Germany to visit the Berlin Olympic Stadium for the first time since he competed there.

Torrance High School's home football, soccer, and track stadium is called Zamperini Stadium, and the entrance plaza at USC's track & field stadium was named Louis Zamperini Plaza in 2004.

Zamperini currently resides in Hollywood, California. A film based on his life story and starring Nicolas Cage is under development [1].

External links

• Louis Zamperini at the Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame website
• US Dept of State press release on Zamperini's 2005 visit to Germany