Memorials

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War Hero and 1936 Olympian Louis Zamperini Dies at 97

"Unbroken," a movie based on Zamperini's life, is scheduled to be released Christmas Day. The film was directed by Angelina Jolie.
By City News Service
| Thursday, Jul 3, 2014

Louis Zamperini, a member of the 1936 U.S. Olympic track and field team who survived repeated torture for two years as a Japanese prisoner of war during World War II, died Wednesday from pneumonia at the age of 97, his family announced.

"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 last days," his family said in a statement released by Universal Pictures, which will release a movie on Zamperini's life, "Unbroken." It is scheduled to be released Christmas Day.

Angelina Jolie, who directed "Unbroken," called Zamperini's death "a loss impossible to describe."

"We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him," Jolie said.

In May, Zamperini was selected to be grand marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California. The former University of Southern California track star wore a Trojans cap as he talked about the book and film based on his inspirational story and his new friend, Jolie.

"After the book was finished, all of my college buddies were dead, all of my war buddies were dead -- it's sad to realize you've lost all of your friends," said Zamperini. "But I think I made up for it. I made a new friend -- Angelina Jolie. The gal really loves me. She hugs me and kisses me, so I can't complain."

Read: Louis Zamperini Named Rose Parade Grand Marshal

Born in 1917 to Italian immigrants in Odeon, New York, Zamperini moved to the Southern California community of Torrance in 1919 and became a world-class distance runner by the time he graduated from Torrance High School. He set an interscholastic record of 4:21 in the mile at a state championship preliminary meet.

His ability and drive to compete on the track won him a scholarship to USC, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. At 19, he became part of a long tradition of USC track Olympians when he made the U.S. team. He was the country's top finisher -- eighth place -- in the 5,000-meter race at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

His ran his final lap in a blistering 56 seconds, prompting Germany's Adolf Hitler to request a personal meeting with him.

Zamperini retired from competition to serve his country during World War II, becoming a bombardier and in the South Pacific. While on a reconnaissance mission, Zamperini's aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean in Japanse-controlled waters. He and a surviving crewmate spent 47 days adrift on an inflatable raft before being captured by Japanese soldiers when they reached the Marshall Islands.

He was a POW for more than two years, during which time he was frequently beaten and tortured by his captors in prison camps. Zamperini returned to Southern California to a hero's welcome and later returned to Japan to carry the Olympic torch at the Nagano Games.

Read: Angelina Jolie Lines Up World War II Drama for Next Directing Project

Suffering from post traumatic disorder, Zamperini found solace in 1949 when he became a born-again Christian after attending a Los Angeles crusade led by evangelist Billy Graham. He eventually became an inspirational speaker preaching the power of forgiveness.

He practiced what he preached in 1950, when he went to Sugamo Prison in Tokyo -- where Japanese war criminals were being held -- and met with some of his torturers to offer them forgiveness, hugging them in the process.

At age 81, Zamperini -- a five-time Olympic torch-bearer -- ran a leg in the torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Nagano. During his visit, he attempted to meet with his most brutal tormentor during the war, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, but Watanabe --who escaped prosecution as a war criminal -- refused to see him.

In 2005, Zamperini returned to Germany to visit the Berlin Olympic Stadium for the first time since he competed there in 1936.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Louis-Zamperini-Dies-War-Hero-Angelina-Jolie-Unbroken-Subject-265671781.html