Seven years after his death, a look-back on the legendary life of Louis Zamperini
He outran opponents and outlived a war, but Louis Zamperini could never escape God’s love. Watch the story of his life in 'Captured by Grace' on Fox Nation.
Louis Zamperini was many things over the course of his almost-century-long life: at one time, the fastest man in the world. At another, a war hero.
At another, a drunk-turned-Christian.
Seven years ago today, the Torrance Tornado, known for his record-breaking 4-minute-21-second mile, passed away at the age of 97. But with his longevity came a series of unexpected, harrowing events that would make his life one of the most memorable in American history.
NIGHTMARES, ALCOHOL AND A LOOMING DIVORCE: THE STORY OF LOUIS ZAMPERINI'S RETURN TO GOD
During his service in World War II, Zamperini was one of only a few survivors of a military plane crash. The crash left him stranded on a raft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean alongside two other American soldiers for what amounted to a terrifying 47-day-stint.
Zamperini and his fellow comrades shared the small raft - which drifted a total of 2,000 miles over the course of their traumatic journey. They survived on a little rainwater, a few fish, and an occasional bird - and were even circled by a Japenese plan for 30 minutes.
Bullets rained down on them in that half-hour time span, putting 48 holes in the raft — but miraculously leaving Zamperini unscathed.
"It was the first time in my life that I began to pray," Zamperini said in the Fox Nation documentary, ‘Captured by Grace.’ "I said, ‘God, if I survive this ordeal, get back to America alive - I’ll seek you and serve you."
Zamperini indeed survived and returned to the United States a hero — but not before enduring further torture at the hands of a sadistic Japanese corporal, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, known as 'The Bird,' who captured Zamperini after his stretch at sea. The events of his time with ‘The Bird’ were chronicled in Laura Hillenbrand’s book, "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption," which later inspired Angelina Jolie's film of the same name.
For a time, Zamperini enjoyed the celebrity of heroism and hob-knobbing with Hollywood. He met and married a beautiful woman named Cynthia Applewhite, and life was good.
But when all the glitz and glamour faded and reality set in, reoccurring nightmares of war and memories of Zamperini's torture by his enemies tormented him. He turned to alcohol, a choice that put a strain on his marriage — and his hope.
The Zamperinis thought they were out of options - until a concerned neighbor invited them to a sermon by a young, little-known evangelist named Billy Graham.
When the invitation came, Zamperini recalled the broken promise he had made to God while he was kept alive while drifting on the Pacific. Remembering his vow to seek and serve God, Zamperini went to hear Billy Graham speak.
Graham's sermon sparked a radical shift in Zamperini, who internalized that no man ‘can solve the problems of life without Jesus Christ.’
The former prisoner of war had discovered the joy of freedom found in Christ and desired to pass it on to others.
And, in the end, Zamperini returned to Japan and forgave the guards who had inflicted tremendous suffering on him years earlier.
Fox News' Yael Halon and Franklin Graham contributed to this report.
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