Inspirational stories: Unbroken

Louis Zamperini's life is an incredibly inspirational story. Equipped with a few cans of drinking water, some fishing lines and very little food, Zamparini and two other soldiers remain in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days. They have to face sharks, hot weather conditions and Japanese fighters. For most people, an experience like that would undoubtedly be the most challenging of their lives. For Zamperini, it was only the beginning of a steep path that led him to overcome his most remote fears. Louis Zamperini had some tough starts as a boy. Then the passion for the sports kept him out of troubles for a while. In 1934 in the United States he established the National High School record for the mile with a time of 4:21,3 conferring him a scholarship with the University of Southern California, beginning the training for the Olympics of 1936. At the Berlin Olympics, Zamperini arrived eighth in the 5k but managed to make the last lap in 56 seconds establishing a record that had no precedent. Louis was determined to participate also in the Olympics of 1940. Unfortunately, there were no Olympics in 1940 because of the Second World War. Louis enlisted in the military aviation in 1941 where he was trained as a bombardier.

In May 1943 Zamperini went on a mission in search of an aircraft that had not been reentered at the base. At some point, there are problems with his plane, and it crashes at sea. Only three men managed to survive out of 11. Zamperini and his two crew members remain in the midst of the ocean telling each other's stories and pretending to cook meals. After 33 days Mac succumbs. After 47 days Zamparini and Phillips will be rescued by the Japanese Navy. The word 'rescued' does not give a real idea of what was going to happen to him/them. Zamperini and Phillips will be sent to Japanese prisons that were notoriously very cruel.  The two survivors will be sent to different camps.
Because of his reputation as an Olympic athlete, Zamperini will be treated in a particularly cruel and violent way. Forced to clean the latrines, shovelling coal he was beaten many times. The malnutrition caused him the beriberi disease. Exhausted he was on the verge of yielding. After Japan's surrender in the summer of 1945 Zamperini was officially released on September 5, two years after his plane crash. His family had already been warned of his disappearance; however, they were happily shocked to see him at home on October 5, 1945. In the course of his life, Zamperini has always pushed his body to the fullest. After returning home, he began drinking because he could not forget the torture he had suffered during the two years of imprisonment and above all he could not forgive his persecutors. Despite all these physical and mental difficulties, Zamperini would manage to make it because he had a great passion for life. His story is a real inspiration that has also become a bestselling book and a film of the same name: Unbroken. Zamperini relinquished life in July 2014 at the age of 97 and managed to see the movie of his life shortly before his last breath.

Giuseppe Loporchio