Louis Zamperini

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.

The Zamperini family moved to Torrance, California in the 1920s, where Louis attended Torrance High School. 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, which helped him win a scholarship to the University of Southern California and a place on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team. He 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. 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".

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

This United States biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.