1. Louis Silvie Zamperini was an American World War II veteran, an Olympic distance runner and a Christian evangelist.
24 Facts About Louis Zamperini
1. 2.
Louis Zamperini served as a bombardier on B-24 Liberators in the Pacific.
3.
Louis Zamperini was later taken to a new prison camp at a coal factory, and after much hardship, he was finally released.
4.
Louis Zamperini later became a Christian evangelist with a strong belief in forgiveness.
5.
Louis Zamperini is the subject of three biographical films: Unbroken, its sequel Unbroken: Path to Redemption, and Captured by Grace.
6.
Louis Zamperini was born on January 26,1917, in Olean, New York, to Anthony Zamperini and Louise Dossi, both native to Verona in northern Italy.
7.
Louis Zamperini had an older brother named Pete and two younger sisters, Virginia and Sylvia.
8.
Louis Zamperini was raised in a strict, devout Catholic household.
9.
The Zamperini family moved from Olean, New York to Long Beach, California when Louis Zamperini was two years old.
10.
In 1919, the family moved to nearby Torrance where Louis Zamperini attended Torrance High School.
11.
Louis Zamperini's father taught him how to box in self-defense.
12.
Louis Zamperini began winning races, and he was becoming much faster.
13.
In 1936, Louis Zamperini decided to try out for the Olympics.
14.
In those days, athletes had to pay their way to the Olympic trials, but since his father worked for the railroad, Louis Zamperini could get a train ticket free of charge.
15.
Louis Zamperini was posted to the Pacific island of Funafuti as a bombardier on the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber Super Man.
16.
Louis Zamperini was held at the same camp as then-Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington, and in his book, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Boyington describes the Italian recipes Louis Zamperini wrote to keep the prisoners' minds off the food and conditions.
17.
Never being registered as a prisoner of war, Louis Zamperini had at first been declared missing in action, then, a year and a day after the date of his disappearance, his status was changed to killed in action.
18.
Louis Zamperini struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home, on one occasion unintentionally strangling a pregnant Applewhite.
19.
Louis Zamperini became addicted to alcohol, which caused Applewhite to seek a divorce; however, after attending one of Billy Graham's Los Angeles Crusades, he became a Christian and told Louis Zamperini she no longer wanted a divorce.
20.
In 1949, at the encouragement of his wife and her Christian friends, Louis Zamperini reluctantly agreed to attend a crusade.
21.
Graham's preaching reminded him of his prayers during his time on the life raft and imprisonment, and Louis Zamperini committed his life to Christ.
22.
Nevertheless, Louis Zamperini sent him a letter, stating that while he suffered great mistreatment from him, he had forgiven him.
23.
Louis Zamperini wrote two memoirs about his experiences, both bearing the same title, Devil at My Heels, but with different co-authors and content.
24.
Zamperini is an Irish horse named after Louis trained by G L Moore.