Any books about World War II are very likely to hold my attention. My uncle, Brigadier General David Lee"Tex" Hill was one of the most highly decorated naval aviators of American military history flying as one of Claire Chennault's original Flying Tigers in the American Volunteer Group. His story, which has been the subject of many books and even a movie starring John Wayne was familiar to me from the time I was a very young child. Having the opportunity to meet other heroes of that era was an incredible privilege and honor. These friends of my uncle were invariably kind, interesting and, in my eyes, incredibly glamorous and brave. Some of them had been POWs during WW II or the Vietnam War. Colonel Bud Day, the most highly decorated military man since General Douglas MacArthur was my mother's lawyer and a close friend of Uncle David's. He is a remarkable man and I cannot fathom how he was able to survive the torture and degradation he was subjected to during his five years and seven months in a North Vietnam prison camp. His story has been recorded in several books and is definitely worth reading.
So, obviously, I am deeply moved by the stories I read about the men who served our country during the 2nd World War or any conflict in which our country has been involved. Over the past few months, many of my friends have told me that I had to read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. I read Seabiscuit by Ms Hillenbrand some years ago and was impressed by the depth of her research and the incredible detail she provided about the lives of the jockeys, trainers and horses during the 1930s. I knew, from that book and from the rave reviews of my friends, that Unbroken was equally well-researched. The author had the added advantage of spending many hours with Louie Zamperini to talk with him personally about his life.
I believe we all need heroes. If I have to look back 60 years to find those who I can really look up to, so be it. At least, thanks to Laura Hillenbrand, I have a new story of courage and grace to ponder.
Louie Zamperini grew up in Torrance, California, the son of Italian immigrants. From an early age, Louie was incorrigible. He was completely uncontrollable and, in present time, would undoubtedly be a prime candidate for any number of drugs to control his behavior. Eventually, Louie's brother, Pete, introduces him to the sport of running, and Louie Zamperini became one of the most famous collegiate and amateur runners of the time competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and smashing records wherever he ran. When the war started, Louis left USC for the service and ended up a bombardier in the Pacific theatre. His plane was shot down, he and two others drifted thousands of miles on a life raft only to be captured by the Japanese. The torture and humiliation Louie and his fellow prisoners are subjected to is horrific. As I read the account, I was struck by two things- 1) How indomitable the human spirit is, and, 2) Man's inhumanity to man. Reading about the indoctrination of the Japanese people from earliest childhood to hate anyone who was not ethnically pure (read: Japanese), is appalling. Of course, the same sort of indoctrination was concurrently being applied to the German people. How, I wonder, do we continue to repeat this incredible, ugly sin of prejudice and bigotry? What is in the darkest part of ourselves, that longs to feel superior to others because of our skin color or the circumstances and place of birth?
Louie survives his incarceration, returns to the United States and tries to pick up his life again. Please read this book. It is incredibly well-researched, beautifully written and will give the reader much to ponder for quite a long time. What happens to Louie Zamperini after the war is a powerful testament to love, grace and forgiveness.
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