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Louis Zamperini Born
Born in Olean, NY 327 Coleman Street as Louis Silvie Zamperini -
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Louis Zamperini
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Louis Moves to CA
Moved to Torrance, CA 2028 Gramercy Avenue -
Louie starts school in Torrance
Louie began tenth grade at Torrance High School -
Louis Begins High School Running
Louis began competitive running at the advice of his brother -
Louie Runs Fastest Highschool Mile
Louie achieved the fastest highschool miler at the Southern California Track and Field Championship. -
Louis Graduates from High School
Louis Successfully Graduates High School, and continues to run competitively -
Louis Finishes Second in USC Track Meet
Track meet in USC Coliseum. Louie finished second in the 5000m -
Louie Leaves for Olympic Trials
July 3, 1936 – Louie left Torrance for the Olympic trials in New York. -
Louis Makes the 1936 US Olympic Team
Louis becomes the youngest distance runner to make the Olympic team, qualifying in a 5K trial race. On the trip to Europe, Louie gains more than 15 pounds and gorges himself with food. -
Louis Finishes 7th in the Olympics
Louis runs a incredible 56 second last lap that even Adolf Hitler wanted to meet him. -
Louis Steals a Nazi Flag
After meeting Hitler after his amazing race, Louie steals a Nazi Flag after climbing a flagpole, right in front of the Gestapo. In the end, Hitler lets him keep the unique souvenir. -
Louie Attends USC
Louie goes to USC on a running scholarship and meets a man named jimmie sasaki. They have similar interests and become good friends. -
Japan withdraws as host of the 1940 Olympics
Louis is dissapointed that all his training will not pay off for the olympics, but the world is changing rapidly. -
Louis is Drafted into the Army
Louis is drafted as a bombadier in he air corps. He prepares for training later that year. -
Louis Arrives In Texas for Training
Louis arrives at midland training schoool in ellington field in Houston, for Air Corps training -
Pearl Harbor is Attacked
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Louis keeps training, but America goes into a state of panic -
Louis Graduates From Air Corps School
Louis graduates from midland training school and is comissioned as a second lieutenant. -
Louis Leaves for War
Louis meets his bomber squad and group, and ships out to hawaii. His squad names their B-24 Superman. Before seeing action, His comrades relax in the clubs of hawaii. -
Louis Attacks the Wake Islands.
Louis and his bomber group attacked the Wake Islands. His regiment is recognized with the Distinguished Flying Cross -
Louis Crashes in the Pacific
Louis' squad is ordered to search for a missing plane. The take a slow and half-broken plane to search. During the flight, the three of four engines fail and the plane goes down. Only 3 crewmen survive. -
Their food supply is deprivated
Out of panic, the first night adrift on a raft, Mac eats all 6 chocolate bars, their only source of food for the journey. The men ration the water, with only a few sips per day, but in the heat and sun, they start to suffer from dehydration. -
Louis Is Strafed by a Japanese Plane
Louis fires a flare to signal a passing bomber, but the bomber is Japanese. Louis jumps in the water even with sharks, while Phil and Mac play dead. The raft is filled with holes. -
Louis and Phil are Captured by the Japanese.
Louis and Phil are about to reach land when a Japanese vessel spots them and captures them. On the boat they are given food and treated well. -
Louis and Phil Arrive at Kwajalein Prison
After arriving at the prison of Kwajalein, they are interrogated about their bomber, the B-24D. They were also questioned a about Hawaii. Louis and Phil suffered dehydration, and were beaten by the guards. -
Louis and Phil and transferred to Ofuna
After deep interrogations and food deprivation, they are claimed to be sent to a POW camp in Yokohama. This is a lie. They learned that Ofuna was a top-secret interrogation facility where "high-value" POWs were held. Surprisingly, he meets Jimmie Sasaki, his college friend, who was a spy in the US. -
Louis sufferes at Ofuna
After meeting guards with nicknames like "the quack", and "gaga", he endured beatings regularily, The "Quack" was the most feared man on Ofuna. Although he was the medical officer, he prescribed painful remedies and tortured the men. Jimmie Sasaki didn't help Louis at all, other than giving him a egg, and tangerine. -
Louis and Phil are transferred to Omori POW Camp
After being transferred to Omori, they meet the scariest man of their lives, one who would haunt them after the war. Mutishiro Watanabe was a japanese corporal that held extreme authority at Omori. Although it was a POW camp, all the food and red cross packages were hidden. Watanabe routinely beat them for no reason. -
Louis suffers from Watanabe
Louis is beaten by Watanabe daily, and forced to work, even against the Geneva Convention laws that say that Officers cannot be forced to work. Louis tremendously loses weight and is weakened. He and Phil are seperated. -
Louis Broadcasts on a Japanese Propaganda Station
Louis is forced to broadcast on a Japanese Radio station, but at least this is an indication to his family, friends, and parents that he is still alive. When requested by the Japanese to do another boradcast, Louis rejects the offer, and as punishement, is transferred to another camp. In the eyes of Louis, this is a good thing because it means getting away from Watanabe. -
Louis and Other Prisoners Sabotage Their Work
While being forced to work by their japanese captors, Louis and other prisoners sabotage shipped products that pass through the ports in which they work. They also steal food in order to sustain themselves, but their sabotage is mostly for the benefit of sustaining their self-dignity. -
A B-29 Superfortress Flies Over
A new bomber that Louis had never seen before flew over camp. He and other prisoners cheered. The bomber was massive, even compared to his bomber, the B-24. -
Louis Is Transferred to Naoetsu
Louis is transferred to Naoetsu, but is glad because he is going with lots of his friends, like Fitgerald and Wade. On the ride there, Louis sees the streets of Tokyo, filled with rubble. But as they arrive there, they see the Bird once again, a sight that they thought they had gotten away from. -
After Continued Torture in Naoetsu, Louis and Others Plot to Kill The Bird
After all the officers are forced to work at Naoetsu, and after even more harsh punishments by the Bird, and with a lurking kill-all date looming, Louis and 12 other officers plot to kill the Bird, their last hope of survival. They hoped to push the Bird off the edge of the camp and drown him in the freezing cold river. Later, after threats from the guards to kill prisoners that had tried to escape, the plan was called off -
The Camp of Naoetsu is Moved to Rokushiri
With the threat of invasion, the guards of Naoetsu move the camp to a remote place in the Mountains Called Rokushiri. Louis and others fear that this is where they will be killed. -
The Americans use the A-Bomb on Hiroshima
After a B-29 with a atomic bomb drops on hiroshima, the chances of danger for louis are higher, due to a "kill all rule" and retaliation. But the end of the war looms near. -
The US A-Bombs Nagasaki
Once again, just a few days after the horrific bombing of hiroshima, a B-29 bombs Nagasaki. the war is almost over. -
A B-29 Flies Over Rokushiru, Indicating the end of the war.
A B-29 with a flashing red light indicates that the war is over. The men are overcome with joy. For the first time in over 2 years, Louis is free. -
The War Ends, and the Camps Celebrate
After being notified of the japanese surrender, the camp celebrates, and takes all the food that was kept from them. Each man gets 3-4 Red cross packages, and the men eat like pigs. -
Louis is transported from Naoetsu to Yokohama
After the war's end, he finally leaves the POW Camp -
Louis Arrives in Hawaii
Louis arrives in Hawaii after stops in okinawa, and a flyover of Kwajalein. He is very close to home. -
Louis arrives at a Hospital in San Fransisco.
Louis arrives at Letterman General Hospital in San Fransisco. Once his brother Pete found out, he rushed there to see him -
Watanabe Disapeares After the Convictions of War Criminals
After being put on the top 40 most wanted War criminals in japan, Watanabe flees to the mountains in northern japan. -
Louis is reunited with his family
After finally arriving at Long Beach Airport in Californina, his family and him are finally reunited after almost 3 years. His family thought he was dead. -
Louis and Cynthia are Married
After marrying a wealthy girl, Louis starts a family. He has trouble finding work, and has hallucinations and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) from his time with The Bird, but later he smooths things out by listening to a pastor. -
Cynthia and Louie go see Bill Graham for a preaching
Louis was addicted to tobacco, and became an alcoholic after stress and post-war symptoms. He had hallucinations, but Cynthia urged him to go see a preacher in San Fransisco. He became more religious, and changed a lot. -
Louis returns to Japan to meet his former captors
After suffering from mental stress and post-war symptoms, Louis returns to Japan to face his former captors and guards from the POW camps and prisions. -
All Charges Against the Watanabe were dropped
After going in hiding in the countryside of Japan. Watanabe later came out of hiding, and became a wealthy buisness man, selling life insurance. He gained a fortune from that, but remained isolated for much of his life. -
Louie Started learning Skateboarding
In his 70s, he started learning how to skateboard. -
Louis Carries the Olympic Torch Through Naoetsu
Before the Winter Olympics in Japan, Louis carries the olympic torch through Naoetsu, a place where he had been imprisoned as a POW. -
Watanabe AKA The Bird Dies
After being let free in Japan, Watanabe was a free man. He became quite rich through his work selling insurance. He felt little remorse for what he did to the POWs at Omori and Naoetsu
