L'Italo-Americano

Louis Zamperini: the last mile of an Italian American hero Family tale Luigi debuted in LA Captain Louis Silvie Zamperini was about 26 years old when he died for the first time. In 1943, he was serving as a bombardier in the U.S. Air Force, flying over the Pacific Ocean on a rescue mission, when the plane crashed due to malfunctioning. Only 3 out of 11 crewmembers survived, remain- ing adrift for 47 days with little food and water on a life raft, at the mercy of sharks and storms. Eventually, they reached the Marshall Island where they were captured by the Japanese, imprisoned, and tortured until the end of the War in August 1945. Louis Zamperini was one of them. He was first declared "missing at sea" and then "killed in action" by the U.S. Military. When he finally returned home, he was welcomed as a hero with medals and honors. Among them, Torrance Airport and High School's stadium, as well as USC's track and field stadium in Los Angeles, were named after Capt. Zamperini. He was also presented two honorary degrees in Humane Letters from Azusa Pacific University and Bryant University, and he was chosen to serve as Grand Marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade that kicks off the college football playoff game in California. As a matter of fact, before enlisting in the Air Force, Louis Zamperini was an athlete and Olympic racer. He was born in Olean, New York, in 1917, but two years later he and his family moved to Torrance, California. His parents emigrated to the U.S. from a small town near Verona, in northern Italy, in the early 1900s. In high school, Louis couldn't speak English and became a target for bullies. Therefore, in order to keep him out of trouble, his brother Pete encouraged him to join the track team. He did it, and in 1934 he set a national high school record in the mile at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that earned him a scholarship to the USC and a qualification to the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, in the 5000 meters. Even if he finished 8 th in that event, his final lap was so fast - 56 seconds – that it caught the attention of Adolf Hitler himself, who wanted to shake the hand of L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 such a promising athlete. Two years later, "Torrance Tornado" – this was Zamperini's nick- name in college – set a national collegiate mile record that stood for 15 years. He graduated from USC in 1940, and soon after he went to war against Germany. The athletic training, based on strong discipline and self- confidence, certainly helped Louis stand both the physical and psychological torment as a war prisoner. Even if he had survived torture, that horror inevitably affected his personal life: he suffered from post-trau- matic stress disorder and was obsessed by nightmares featur- ing his torturer, Japanese prison guard and war criminal Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nick- named "The Bird". Thanks to his wife Cynthia Applewhite, who was very close to evangelist Billy Graham, Louis was converted again and became a Christian inspirational speaker in Los Angeles. In par- ticular, he preached forgiveness, traveling around the USA and even to Japan, where he met and forgave many of his persecutors. The only one who didn't apolo- gize for his crimes and didn't want to meet Zamperini in Nagano - where he was invited to bear the torch at the 1998 Winter Olympic games - was "The Bird". Nevertheless, the power of forgiveness restored his peace of mind, and so he died, peacefully. Sadly enough, this time it was for real. On July 2, 2014, Louis Silvie Zamperini passed away in his Los Angeles home at the age of 97, just a few months before the release of the movie Unbroken. Directed by renowned Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, it is an adaptation of Zamperini's biography written by Laura Hillenbrand in 2010 and entitled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. The actress and filmmaker comment- ed on Zamperini's death: "It is a loss impossible to describe." Pneumonia succeeded where accident, starvation, and torture had failed, but his family stated sIlVIA sIMoNettI sIlVIA sIMoNettI that he died peacefully. Despite all the harsh experiences that he faced during the War, his fight- ing spirit never broke: he inspired the life of many people and became a great ambassador of forgiveness and patriotism. Louis Zamperini's incredibly fascinating story throughout the 20 th century will be justly cele- brated and remembered as an example for future generations. This is how his close friend and Olympic medalist, John Naber, remembers him: "I met Louis in 1983 and I was amazed by how energetic he was and how interested he was in help- ing other people. Louis had a great sense of humor, and delighted in making other peo- ple laugh. He never considered himself as a hero, but only as a survivor. He often spoke about the value of preparation, hardi- ness and forgiveness. He was very proud of his Italian American heritage, his member- ship on the US Olympic team and his time as a student at USC. Most notably, he often spoke about his relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was fortunate to light his torch as part of two Olympic torch relays, but it is Louis who sparked my life and inspired me on how to behave as a Trojan, Olympians and Christian." The colorful and intriguing life of a typical Italian family; the unexpected friendship between an American teenager and her dying Italian uncle; the power of traditional values and new life possibilities. These are just some of the ingredients of Luigi, an engaging and evoca- tive play written by Louise Munson and directed by Annie John Naber and Louis Zamperini. Photo by Michael Callopy McVey. Luigi's world premiere is presented by The Inkwell Theater and staged at the VS Theatre as a guest production from July 18 through August 16, 2014. Set in the heart of Tuscany, the 2-and–a-half-hour comedy is partly based on the author's bio- graphical experience visiting her mother's family in Italy, and it looks even more authentic thanks to the many dialogs in Italian. "I wanted to capture one of those brief and subtle life- altering moments that people can have when they're in a new, strange place and find them- selves connecting to others who may not even speak the same language," explains playwright Louise Munson. Although they live very dis- tant lives and have never met before, the protagonists Anna and her critically ill uncle Luigi share the same intense way of feeling and sense of humor, even in regards to mortality. The one- week family reunion during summer vacations, intended to bid farewell and mainly taking place around a set up dining table, becomes for them an occa- sion to get to know each other: an elderly poet and a young aspiring poet. As they discuss poetry and philosophy, mentor Luigi encourages his niece to follow her dream and to find her own way in life.

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