Zamperini and his fellow POWs were liberated
following the Japanese surrender in September 1945
, but his wartime experiences would continue to haunt him. His years of malnourishment and torture left him unable to resume his career as a runner, and he became dependent on alcohol to stave off nightmares and flashbacks.
What happened to Louie in the POW camps?
While on a search and rescue mission in 1943,
Louie's plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean
. Ultimately only Louie and one other man survived more than a month lost at sea. They were captured by Japanese troops and sent to POW camps in Japan.
When did Louis Zamperini return home?
When Louie Zamperini came home from the war (was officially released on
September 5, 1945
)he was greeted by his family. Not shortly after of returning he married his wife, Cynthia Applewhite they where married from 1946-2001. Over that time they had two kids, a boy and a girl.
How did Louis Zamperini survived 47 days at sea?
They survived by
catching birds, eating the raw flesh, and using the rest as bait to catch fish
. They never caught more than one or two tiny fish, but the meager ration was enough to give them energy and lift Louis's and Phil's spirits.
How many days was Louis on the raft?
Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who as an airman during World War II crashed into the Pacific, was listed as dead and then spent
47 days
adrift in a life raft before being captured by the Japanese and enduring a harsh imprisonment, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 97.
How long did Mac survive on the raft?
When his B-24 bomber crashed into the sea on May 27, 1943, only three men survived: Louie, his pilot Russell Allen “Phil” Phillips, and tail gunner Francis “Mac” McNamara. Over the next
46 days
, they struggled to survive in two small, inflatable rafts while drifting across miles and miles of water.
How did Louie catch the pilot fish?
When Louie would
dangle a hook over the raft
in an attempt to catch some pilot fish, the sharks would make off with them. He also tried to use leftover albatross bones as hooks, but the fish didn't care for them. He even turned his lieutenant's pin into a hook, and it successfully snagged a catch before breaking.
Why is Louie targeted by the bird?
Louie tried to blend in with other prisoners and hide, but
the Bird hunted him like prey
and always found him. Louie was desperate for someone to save him, but the only ally the men had at camp was another guard, Private Kano, who often helped the prisoners behind the Bird's back.
What nickname did Louis get in school?
His speed and newfound admiration earn him the nickname “
The Torrance Tornado
.” He has becomes a regional celebrity. Louie begins to think he can make the 1936 Olympic team for the 1500-meter race. After graduating high school, he is offered a scholarship to the University of Southern California, where Pete attends.
What did Louis call the darkest moment of his life?
Louie would remember that moment when he saw
the Bird
as the darkest of his life.
What plane did Louie Zamperini crash in?
On May 27, 1943, a
B-24
carrying U.S. airman and former Olympic runner Louis Zamperini crashes into the Pacific Ocean.
What religion was Louis Zamperini?
“It was the fact that Louie was able, because of his conversion and newfound
Christian faith
, to go back to Japan to the very guards who mistreated him and forgive them, as well as tell them about Jesus Christ.”
How did Zamperini survive in a raft?
They survived by
catching birds with their bare hands and using the entrails for fish bait
. When a tern landed on the raft, “Louie was so famished that he went at it with his teeth, ripping the feathers loose and spitting them out in whuffs,” Hillenbrand wrote in Unbroken.
What's the longest someone has been stranded at sea?
José Salvador Alvarenga
holds the record for the longest solo survival at sea. He was adrift for 438 days, and traveled over 6,700 miles. Alvarenga is a fisherman, and on November 17, 2012, he set sail from the fishing village of Costa Azul in Mexico.
How did Zamperini survive?
Zamperini and his fellow castaways survived
on rainwater and the occasional captured bird or fish
, but all soon saw their weight drop below 100 pounds, and McNamara perished after 33 days at sea.
How long was Louis Zamperini in the camps?
Louis Zamperini, a bombardier in the Army Air Force, peers out of hatch nose of a bomber in 1943. Louis Zamperini, an Olympic distance runner and World War II veteran who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured
two years
in Japanese prison camps, has died.
Who was Jimmie Sasaki?
Kunichi James “Jimmie” Sasaki
A Japanese émigré who claimed to be a student at the University of Southern California (USC), but was really an undercover spy for the Japanese military
, he was a track fan and friend of Louie Zamperini.
What record did Louis Zamperini break?
In 1938, Zamperini also set a national collegiate Mile record (
4:08.3
), which held up for fifteen years, earning him the nickname “Torrance Tornado”.
What injuries did Phil sustain and how did Louis help him?
What injuries did Phil sustain and how did Louis help him? Phil has a
bleeding head injury
. Louis brings the rafts to Phil and Mac.
Does Phil survive in unbroken?
Phil survives
, along with Louie and Mac. Although Mac dies, Phil and Louie make it for forty-six days, at which point they are captured by the Japanese. After being transferred to a different POW camp, they are transferred again, and this time they are separated. They don't see other again until after the war.
What important discovery do Phil and Louis make at the end of the excerpt from Unbroken?
What important discovery do Phil and Louie make at the end of the excerpt from Unbroken?
Their minds have been freed
.
How did Louie get even with the sharks?
How did Louie get even with the sharks?
He lifted a shark out of the water by its tail and the men ate its liver.
How does Louie keep the sharks away from the raft?
Louie waited until the shark was inches from him, then struck it in the nose again. Again, the shark peeled away. Above water, the machine gun fire has stopped. Louie
uses the cord to pull himself to the raft
.
How do Phil and Louis respond to Mac's death?
He knows Mac has died. In the morning Phil and Louie
pay their respects and cast his body off to sea
. The sharks leave it alone. Not long after Mac's death, Louie and Phil reach the final stage of starvation and don't even feel hungry anymore.
Why did they call Watanabe the bird?
29), and “He was absolutely the most sadistic man I ever met” (4.23. 31). Okay, those are more like superlatives than praise, but this bird is more like a vicious hawk than a cute little blue jay, so it only makes sense. In fact, he earns his nickname—the Bird—
because it carries “no negative connotation”
(4.24.
Why was the bird so cruel?
Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known as the Bird to POWs, was a sadistic Japanese leader at two different POW camps, Omori and Naoetsu. He was born into a wealthy family but experienced humiliation when he was not made a military officer.
The Bird subjects prisoners to extreme physical and emotional abuse
.
Why was Watanabe not prosecuted?
However, he was not prosecuted
when the US was trying to compromise with Japan
. Why was he one of the people who was not prosecuted when his crimes were truly horrendous? He went on to become an insurance salesman and generally had a successful life instead of being arrested for his crimes.
