Grand marshal Louis Zamperini’s children stand in for their father

The late Louis Zamperini wasn’t in this year’s Rose Parade as its grand marshal, but his children represented him and said they were excited to be a part of the event.

“I can’t think of a New Year’s Day that I haven’t watched the parade,” said Luke Zamperini, 61, days before the parade. He rode in the parade with his sister, Cynthia Zamperini-Garris.

When Zamperini was announced as the 2015 Rose Parade’s grand marshal in May, he donned a USC cap and told reporters how Angelina Jolie was not only a new friend, but a “dedicated girl” to the film “Unbroken,” which she directed about his life as an Olympic athlete and his harrowing experiences in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II.

“We met at my house… She’s a very affectionate girl. I can’t complain too much except that I’m 97,” Louis Zamperini said, jokingly. “She started telling me, ‘Oh, I love you, Louie.’ The next day she said, ‘I love you twice as much,’” he said. “And then she started hugging me, kissing me, and I just stood there like a dummy.”

He went on to say he had heard the book about his life, on which the film is based, had changed people’s outlook on their own lives, from children as young as 10 years old to adults who were sick in hospitals.

Several days later, Zamperini would land in the hospital himself, where he would spend the next seven weeks before passing away in July.

But there was no question on the part of the Tournament House, or its president, Rich Chinen, that Zamperini would remain the 2015 grand marshal, an embodiment to the parade’s theme this year — “Inspiring Stories.”

Chinen had read the book, “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption,” written by Laura Hillenbrand, and he knew that Zamperini was the right choice to be grand marshal.

The book tells the story of Louis Zamperini’s childhood in Torrance, his rise to become an Olympic athlete, and the 47 days he spent on a life raft after his plane crashed at sea. After the Japanese military found him, he’d spend two years in prison camps. Later on, he forgave his captors.

When the elder Zamperini was selected by the Tournament House to be the 2015 grand marshal, Luke Zamperini said his sister initially declined on behalf of her father, figuring he was occupied with other activities.

When she told her father she had turned down the opportunity, he wasn’t pleased.

“He hit the ceiling,” said Luke Zamperini, and their father urged his daughter to call the Tournament House and confirm his participation.

“He was so excited about it,” Luke Zamperini said.

In the days leading up to the release of the film on Christmas Day, the siblings have had an “otherworldly” experience, he said.

“We’re having a very strange year, my sister and myself, with our father going into the hospital and leaving us; this movie coming out. How we’ve just been thrust into representing him when he’s not here,” Luke Zamperini said. “To top it off, there’s the Tournament of Roses. If you can pinch me, I might wake up. It’s amazing to be going there and being in the parade.”

The siblings watched the film for the first time about two weeks after their father’s passing, and they’ve attended a few screenings since.

“We’ve both come to the conclusion we are obsessed with the film now — just how beautifully it’s shot, how wonderful the soundtrack is,” he said. “There’s just this series of incredible moments. There’s something deeper going on when you look in the eyes of those actors.”

Seeing Louis Zamperini’s story reach a wide audience, seeing the film, and talking about his dad’s life, Luke Zamperini said, “I guess it’s been really good for us. We were very close with our dad. At 97 years old, we were really unprepared for his passing. It’s been cathartic. It’s helped us to deal with our grieving.”

After his father’s death, Luke Zamperini told Jolie he wished his father had seen the film, and Jolie confirmed his father saw a rough cut of the movie in the hospital, with her by his side.

“She said he liked it,” Luke Zamperini said. “She could see him reflecting over this journey. I think she was really touched by watching him reflect on his life.”

Only days into the release of “Unbroken” and with Hillenbrand’s book still a major best-seller, Luke Zamperini and his sister are hopeful over the prospect of how far their father’s story can reach.

“We do want our dad’s story to affect as many people as it possibly can,” he said.