Louis Zamperini: The Torrance Tornado

With the onset of the global war, Louis enlisted in the US Army Air Force in 1941 as a bombardier and was deployed in the Pacific theatre of the war. In April 1942, he and his team were deployed for a search and rescue mission looking for a lost aircraft and its crew. While on the rescue mission, the plane faced technical difficulties and the plane crash landed in the Pacific Ocean, killing eight of the eleven members on board. The three survivors were able to get into a life boat waiting to be rescued.

The three survivors drifted across the Pacific Ocean surviving on raw fish and drinking rain water. The survivors were constantly fighting off shark attacks, braving storms and being attacked by the Japanese Air Force. After 47 days at sea and being adrift for 2000 miles, the survivors, now two, reached Marshall Islands and were immediately captured by the Japanese Navy. Louis and the other survivor were held in captivity in a prisoner of war camp till the end of the war.

As there was no proof of his death, the US Army had both of them declared as missing in action and a year later, killed in action. However, Louis survived in the POW camp and there he was severely beaten and tortured by the guards on a daily basis. One of the most merciless prison guards, nicknamed “The Bird”, had a special disliking for Louis and went out of his way to beat and torture Louis. After the end of the war, “The Bird” was listed as one of the 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan.

In 1950, Louis went to Japan to give his testimony against the prison guards who had tortured him so badly. Louis forgave his former prison guards for what they had done and they were shocked at his genuine gesture. By forgiving his former tormentors, Louis was able to get the closure he so desperately required as he was suffering from post traumatic stress ever since he was released from the prisoner of war camp.

After the war, Louis created the Victory Boys Camp where he taught youngsters the skills needed to succeed in life. Now, at the very spry age of 96, he travels the country talking to people about his life and experiences and to never give up when faced with adversities you face in life.

As runners, we often find ourselves facing hardships that we are not be able to get away from, no matter how hard we try. We push our minds and bodies in overcoming our hardships where any other person would have given up long ago. This, I find, is the greatest characteristic of all runners anywhere in the world – the ability to rise to the challenge no matter how tough or daunting it may seem. A runner will square their shoulders, look up at the hill, set their eyes to the top, steel their spirit and run up that hill and across the finish line, even if they have to crawl towards it.