The Life of Louis Zamperini

Hello, my name is Louis Zamperini.  I was born in 1917.  I have been a troublemaker since I was only seven years old.  I would slice open old cigar butts, and slice them open, and slice them open, then pour the tobacco into cans and sell the cans on Saturdays outside the movie theater.

Then at my uncle’s house, I drank a ton of wine and fainted.  Then when I was sixteen, I got mad at a truck driver and nearly killed him!  The next day, the police chief came to my house.  He showed me around the jail to make sure I wouldn’t show up in there (or worse).  A while later, I ran away with my friend and nearly died.  I came home after about two weeks.  After that, my brother got me into running.

I made some records and beat the best high school runner in the world! 

I competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  I was going to go to another Olympics, but the war came. 

Then I joined the Air Force.  One day I was recruited to go on a rescue mission.  I went with two friends Phil and Mack.  Once we were flying for a while, we started spinning out of control.

We crashed, but we had three rafts.  After a while, there was the sound of a plane.  We started waving and shooting our flares.  Then they turned around, but we noticed something.  IT WAS A JAPANESE PLANE!

I jumped in the water, and Mack and Phil played dead.  The plane kept coming though, spraying us with bullets.  But I was having my own problems!  I was getting attacked by sharks!

Once they were gone, it was just the same.  A few days later, Mack died of hunger.  We pushed. him on the ocean.  Than a few days after that, we were captured by the Japanese!

We were taken to a prison camp, where I was put in a stall.  They used me as a test subject and would not give me an ounce of water.  Finally, a long time later, I was free!

I got saved listening to a Billy Graham Crusade, and I tried to help people after that.  I started a camp for troubled boys called Victory Boys Camp.

I ended up believing in God.  I think you guys should know about me because I’m famous.  Like if you don’t know about me, I would be surprised.  What are they teaching kids these days?