Post by Don Gieseke on Aug 8, 2021 19:38:47 GMT -6
At the Berlin Olympics in 1936, American runner Louis Zamperini finished eighth in the 5000-meter race, but ran the fastest final lap of all the competitors in an unprecedented 56 seconds.
By early 1940, Zamperini had dropped his mile time to 4:07.9. Yet as he came closer to the four-minute mile, the United States came closer to war.
There would be no Olympics that year. Zamperini was forced to forego running for a career in the military. He joined the Army Air Corps in November 1941 and was trained as a bombardier. Zamperini flew in B-24s in the Pacific War Theater and went on a number of bombing raids.
In May 1943, Zamperini went out on a mission to search for a missing plane when his plane had trouble of its own. Zamperini and the crew went down; eight men died on impact, three survived.
Zamperini survived more than a month on a life raft, drinking rainwater, eating raw fish, and fending off shark attacks. One of his crewmates died.
On the 47th day at sea, he and his lone surviving crewmate--pilot Russell Allen Phillips--were taken prisoner by Japanese sailors. They were separated, put in Japanese prisoner of war camps, and were not reunited until after the war.
The Japanese POW camps were notoriously cruel and Zamperini’s status as an Olympian brought him unwanted attention from his captors. Due to the harsh treatment, cold weather, and severe malnutrition, Zamperini developed beriberi, a deadly disease caused by vitamin deficiency. He was on the brink of death when Japan surrendered.
He was officially released on September 5, 1945, more than two years after his plane crash. By that time the United States had declared Zamperini dead and his parents had received his Purple Heart “posthumously.”
His family and friends were amazed when Zamperini returned home on October 5, 1945.
Zamperini returned to the Olympics as a torch bearer for the 1998 Winter Games in Japan.
His story is the inspiration for the bestselling book and film, “Unbroken.”
See more related records to Zamperini on the Unwritten Record blog go.usa.gov/xFN2B
By early 1940, Zamperini had dropped his mile time to 4:07.9. Yet as he came closer to the four-minute mile, the United States came closer to war.
There would be no Olympics that year. Zamperini was forced to forego running for a career in the military. He joined the Army Air Corps in November 1941 and was trained as a bombardier. Zamperini flew in B-24s in the Pacific War Theater and went on a number of bombing raids.
In May 1943, Zamperini went out on a mission to search for a missing plane when his plane had trouble of its own. Zamperini and the crew went down; eight men died on impact, three survived.
Zamperini survived more than a month on a life raft, drinking rainwater, eating raw fish, and fending off shark attacks. One of his crewmates died.
On the 47th day at sea, he and his lone surviving crewmate--pilot Russell Allen Phillips--were taken prisoner by Japanese sailors. They were separated, put in Japanese prisoner of war camps, and were not reunited until after the war.
The Japanese POW camps were notoriously cruel and Zamperini’s status as an Olympian brought him unwanted attention from his captors. Due to the harsh treatment, cold weather, and severe malnutrition, Zamperini developed beriberi, a deadly disease caused by vitamin deficiency. He was on the brink of death when Japan surrendered.
He was officially released on September 5, 1945, more than two years after his plane crash. By that time the United States had declared Zamperini dead and his parents had received his Purple Heart “posthumously.”
His family and friends were amazed when Zamperini returned home on October 5, 1945.
Zamperini returned to the Olympics as a torch bearer for the 1998 Winter Games in Japan.
His story is the inspiration for the bestselling book and film, “Unbroken.”
See more related records to Zamperini on the Unwritten Record blog go.usa.gov/xFN2B