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Louis Zamperini was born.
Louie was born in Olean, New York to Anthony and Louise Zamperini on January 26th, 1917. -
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Louie runs, runs, and runs some more
During his highschool career Louie Zamperini won almost every race he went in to. He also set the national highschool mile record with a time of 4:06.8 -
Louie starts running
In June of 1932 Louie changes from his deliquent youth and starts running with his brother Pete. -
Olympics
Louie Zamperini ran in the 1936 Olympics. He was one of few American runners in the 5000m event. He finished 8th place as 19 year old. -
The Air Force
Louis Zamperini enlists in the Air Force to fight for America in WWII. He purposfully failed his first physical so he could finish a working on a movie set -
Crash Landing
Louie and two other crew mates survive the crash of their B-24 in the Pacific. They survive on a life raft for the next 47 days, with little food and water. -
Duck!
Louie and the other crew members get spotted by a Japanese bomber. The pilot strafes by a few time firing into their raft and surrounding water. They all survive. -
Not So Lucky
Louie and one other crew member make it to land. They are then captured and sent off to different POW camps. -
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POW Camp
Louie Zamperini spent two years being starved, beaten, and tortured by the Japanese. He was released when American soldiers came to rescue them after winning the war. -
Finally Home
Louie returns home to Torrance, after stating a few hospitals. He gets to see his family for the first time in two years. They were told he had died. -
Love at First Site
Louie meets his soon to be wife, Cynthia Applewhite. He meets her at a bar, and he was compelled to ask her out. -
Marriage
Louie Zamperini and Cynthia Applewhite go away to have a wedding behing her mothe's back. This breaks her mother's heart. -
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PTSD
Louie suffers from PTSD from the POW camp. He turns to alcohol and becomes addicted. He said "The alcohol brought him a pleasant numbness" -
Revival
Louie Zamperini attends a Billy Graham sermon. There he turns his life around, and towards God. He quits being an alcoholic and works on forgivness, -
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Forgivenss
In September of 1950 Louie went to Japan to find his former captors. All of the captors he got into contact with he forgave. He showed an amazing amount of strength forgiving them. -
Death
Louie Zamperini sadly died in July of 2014. He died of Pnemonia at age 97. -
Interview
Louie Zamperini was interviewed a few months before this. But the article was written this day. He recapped his expeirences throughout his life. He said this famous quote, "That forgiveness has to be complete. If you hate somebody, it’s like a boomerang that misses its target and comes back and hits you in the head"
