Louis Zamperini, the World War II prisoner of war and former Olympic distance runner, has passed away at the age of 97. Zamperini was the subject of Lauren Hillenbrand’s best-selling book Unbroken. His family says he battled for 40 days against pneumonia before succumbing. ”
Leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives. His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days,” the family said. Zamperini was the youngest-ever American Olympic qualifier for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin where he placed eighth in the 5,000 meters. His final lap of 56 seconds, however, got him a one-on-one meeting with Adolf Hitler. Zamperini then enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941.
After his plane crashed, he spent 74 days on a raft before being captured by the Japanese Navy. Zamperini was imprisoned for two-and-a-half-years as an unofficial POW (and even declared killed in action by the U.S.). Read more at the Chicago Tribune.
{Andy Heller-Matzav.com Newscenter}
I read the book “Unbroken.” Fabulous.