Louis Zamperini's track zeal was soon noticed across the country, earning him a spot in the 1936 Olympic trials. He made the 5,000 meter event and was soon on his way to Berlin, Germany. Although he only came in eighth, he finished his last lap in fifty-six seconds. He did all this at only nineteen years old. When World War II began, he became a bombardier. He flew first in the B-24 Liberator, Superman, but was later assigned to Green Hornet, also a B-24 Liberator. When Louie was twenty-six, his plane, Green Hornet, crashed into the Pacific Ocean. This left him stranded with the plane's pilot, Russel Allen Phillips Or "Phil", and the plane's tail gunner, Francis McNamara or "Mack". They were stranded for forty-seven days, during which Mack died and was buried at sea. When Louie and Phil found land, they had drifted 2,000 miles and were taken prisoners of war by the Japanese. Then, they were separated and Louie was taken to a prisoner of war camp where he was singled out and brutally abused by the camp sergeant "The Bird" or Mutsuhiro Watanabe. Louie spent the next two years moving from camp to camp and often being used as a propaganda tool by the Japanese, most likely because he was an Olympic athlete, but he still showed defiance.
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