Unbroken

“If I knew I had to go through those experiences again,” [Louie] finally said, “I’d kill myself.”

Unless you dont have a TV or Internet access, you’ve heard of Angelina Jolie’s third directorial project ‘Unbroken.’ I had heard of Lauren Hillenbrand’s biography when it may some rounds on Best Seller lists but hadn’t looked into it until La Jolie brought it to my attention.

For all my historical readings (both in school and for fun) I’ve never learned much about our fight in the Pacific. Everyone knows America’s start (Pearl Harbor) and the end (the Atomic bomb) but most of my eduction focused on our WWII in Europe.

Let me tell you, Japan was hardcore. Their POW camps were on par with Germany’s concetration camps, willfully ignoring the Geneva Conventions.

Louis Zamperini’s story is unbelievable. A trouble making teenager who channeled his energy into track, which lead him to the Berlin Olympics, Zamperini enlisted in the Navy to be an airman. He flew several sucessful missions before his plane crashed into the Pacific. Along with two other surviors, he survived at sea for a record 47 days (a record no one wants to set) before drifting to, and landing on a Japanese controlled island. He and the one other survivor were bandaged up and shipped to a POW camp where they were beaten and abused for years, most notably by a guard they called the Bird.

The POW portion of the book is violent and grotesque. Many brutal stories are recounted including a particularly horrible case of animal abuse. The Japanese starved their captives and the death counts for European POWs pales in comparison to that of the Pacific POWs. Its not for the weak stomached but it is a worthwhile read.

The book was so good I no longer want to see the movie, there is no way they could put it all in there and I’d only be disappointed.

Zamperini died earlier this year, he was almost 100 years old, he was a true American hero.