Thoughts from Dr. Joe: Zamperini’s life is an inspiring story

The cheers of the crowd on Colorado Boulevard muted the steady gait of Traveler, the University of Southern California mascot as he preceded the marching bands, equestrian units, floats and carriages. Traveler, the riderless horse, moved with solemn deportment while representing a fallen soldier, Lt. Louis Zamperini. Although he died on July 2, Zamperini had earlier been chosen as Grand Marshal for the 126th Tournament of Roses Parade, held this Jan. 1.

The tradition of a riderless horse dates back to the time of Genghis Khan, when a horse was sacrificed to serve the fallen warrior in the next world. The United States Military considers this tribute the ultimate honor. Alexander Hamilton, former secretary of the treasury, was the first American to be given the distinction. Traveler, carrying the memory of Zamperini, was adorned in a simple red caparison and a black saddle. In the stirrups of the saddle were two-inverted black riding boots representing the fallen leader looking back on his troops for the last time.

The theme of this year’s parade was “Inspiring Stories.” Zamperini’s life was an inspiration to the living and there is much to learn from his character. The nature of the man is defined in Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling novel, “Unbroken: A World War Two Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.”

Raised in Torrance, Zamperini ran track at Torrance High School to counteract his troublesome nature. He achieved state acclaim for running, earning a scholarship to the University of Southern California. He competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.

After graduating from USC, he joined the Army Air Corps and deployed to the Pacific as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator. On May 27, 1943, his B-24, due to mechanical difficulties, crashed into the ocean 850 miles south of Oahu, killing eight of the 11 men aboard. The survivors subsisted on rainwater and small fish while fending off constant shark attacks and nearly being capsized by a storm and strafings by a Japanese bomber. On their 47th day adrift, Zamperini and one surviving crew mate reached land in the Marshall Islands and were immediately captured by the Japanese.

Survival at sea — or, for that matter, in any clime — is not a result of happenstance. Survival is predicated on the will to survive and adapt to circumstance. There are no recipes for survival; you just come out the other side or you don’t. I have studied the exploits of Ernest Shackleton’s survival in the Antarctic, Poon Lim’s 133 days adrift in the Atlantic, Captain Bligh’s 47 days in a rowboat in the Pacific, and the countless stories of the men who survived the brutality of the Vietnamese at the Hanoi Hilton. I am convinced that their strength of character enabled them to endure the unthinkable.

Until the end of the war in 1945, Lt. Zamperini was held in captivity, severely beaten, and mistreated. He was tormented by prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe, who was later included in Gen. MacArthur’s list of the most wanted war criminals in Japan.

In “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankel, a survivor of the German concentration camp at Auschwitz, stressed that his attitude toward circumstance was the only vestiges of self that enable dignity. Hillenbrand depicts the essence of Zamperini survival, “Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man’s soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.”

After the war Zamperini circumvented difficult times, found a higher power, and forgave his persecutors. He persevered courageously, endured patiently, and by doing so he elevated the human spirit. That’s a remarkable man. If you saw the parade you witnessed Traveler, the riderless horse carry the spirit of Louis Zamperini down Colorado Boulevard. His last ride!
--

JOE PUGLIA is a practicing counselor, a retired professor of education and a former officer in the Marines. Reach him at doctorjoe@ymail.com. Visit his website at doctorjoe.us.