How Did Louis Zamperini Succeed

“Never give up no matter what. Even if you’re in last place-finish”- Louis Zamperini. Louis Zamperini was born on January 26, 1917 in Olean, New York. Zamperini moved to Torrance, California as a kid and got into a lot of trouble. As a kid Zamperini got into a lot of trouble with the law and started smoking at the age of eight and drinking at the age of 13. Zamperini’s brother Pete persuaded him to join track to get away from his bad habits. Zamperini was a star at track setting many records including a four minute twenty-one second mile time( it would stay for 20 years). Soon enough Zamperini would qualify for the 1936 Berlin Olympic games finishing eighth. During WWII, Zamperini was a bombardier in the U.S. Navy and one day his plane crashed

Pete, Zamperini’s brother ran track and persuaded Zamperini to start track. Zamperini was a star at track breaking all of Pete’s records and setting new ones including a four minute twenty-one second mile time which would stay for twenty years. At the age of eighteen, Zamperini got accepted into the University of Southern California or USC, and at the age of nineteen Zamperini went to the Olympic trials. At the Olympic trials which was in New York it was one of the hottest summers, and many people were collapsing from heat strokes, and forty died. But Zamperini pulled through, and tied with American record holder Don Lash which qualified Zamperini for the 1936 Berlin summer Olympic games. At the Olympics, Zamperini finished eighth but caught the eye of Adolf Hitler who later shook his hand. This all shows that Louis Zamperini triumphed over adversity by getting away from his tough neighborhood and he quit smoking and drinking to become an Olympic athlete and an inspiration to

After the 1936 Olympic games, Zamperini joined the United States Navy as a bombardier. On the day of May 27, 1943, Louis Zamperini’s plane went down in the middle of the ocean. For forty-seven days Zamperini and his remaining crew members had to stay on a raft with nothing but six chocolate bars and rain water to split amongst the three of them. On the 37th day one of Zamperini’s crew members died from a shark attack and after 47 days Zamperini and his remaining crew member were captured by the Japanese Navy. For two long years Zamperini was beaten senseless by a man nicknamed “the bird”. Zamperini was beaten day after day for two long years until his release in 1945 after WWII. All of this shows that Louis Zamperini overcame adversity by not giving up in the most hopeless situation. Zamperini could have given up and died but he didn’t and he kept fighting until the