Louis Zamperini endured countless hardships during his lifetime. Growing up in Torrance, California, Louis was a reckless delinquent who often stole and got into fights with kids from his school. Louis got away with stealing and got out of fights with his impeccable speed and ability to quickly run away. His older brother, Pete, thought he could channel this incredible swiftness into something positive. Pete convinced Louie to attempt running for his schools track team. Louie trained and rapidly became the fastest runner at his school, breaking countless records. He eventually made it to Berlin, where the 1936 Olympics were being held. Louie ended up winning the race and even shook hands with Adolf Hitler afterward, where Hitler called him “the boy with the fast finish.” After this, Louie was drafted into the Second World War.
Before entering the war, Louie attended USC where he befriended James, or “Jimmie” Sasaki. Sasaki was a rather normal student. He was a fan of track and often cheered on Louie during his races. The two men ate meals together at the student union, attended ten-cent movies together on campus, and simply enjoyed one another’s company. The only strange thing about Jimmie was his constant pleading and convincing people to send money to
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After being held on an island for several weeks where he was starved, tortured, and used for experimentation, he was blindfolded and send to Ofuna, a prisoner of war camp. Upon first arriving, Louie was escorted down a hallway and stopped at a door, where a guard told him to go inside and wait for orders. Louie walked into a room to find the silhouette of a man in civilian clothing, facing away from him. Louie gaped at the man with utter amazement and disbelief. The man was Jimmie Sasaki, Louie’s old college friend. “"We meet again" said Jimmie (page