Remembering the "Unbroken" spirit of Louis Zamperini
CBS News - July 6, 2014
A FINAL SALUTE now to Louis Zamperini, an American hero in both war and peace who died this past week at the age of 97. The suffering he endured during World War II was matched only by the remarkable forgiveness he later extended to his former tormentors.
Chip Reid's visit with him two years ago is this Independence Day weekend's Cover Story:
"The house is full of antiques," said Louis Zamperini. "Including me!"
Zamperini's home is too small to hold memories of a life so large. There are the trophies honoring his athletic accomplishments, including the five torches he carried at five different Olympic Games
And then there are the souvenirs from the prison camps where he spent two years of his life, including a bamboo fork, and an old belt buckle he still has.
"I'm surprised the Japanese didn't take it away from me, 'cause they were short of brass," he said.But Zamperini's story was pretty much ancient history -- an elderly man waving in a parade -- until a bestselling book, "Unbroken," reminded the world of his harrowing tale.
His first fame came when he was just a teenager. In 1936, he made the U.S. Olympic team; at 19, he was the youngest qualifier in the 5,000 meters.
He didn't win, but Louis Zamperini became a household name -- a sports hero.
A few years later, the nation was at war, and Zamperini was a bombardier in the Army Air Corps. In May 1943, his B-24 crashed into the Pacific.
"Our number one engine, the rpm stopped," he recalled. "This plane was barely flying with four motors, and with two gone, it just dropped like a rock. And so we hit the water nose down. I felt like someone hit me on the forehead with a sledgehammer. The plane was completely blown apart."
As documented in a 1998 CBS News story from correspondent Bob Simon, Zamperini spotted a life raft floating rapidly away from the burning water. He swam to it. He spent 47 days in the inflatable raft.
"I never prayed before," Zamperini said. "When you're on a raft, you pray like in a foxhole."
He fought off sharks, and battled the sea.
Things went from bad to worse. Zamperini was near death when he was captured by the Japanese and taken to a place known as "Execution Island," where every known prisoner had been put to death.
"They took great joy in telling us we were going to be executed," he said. "They'd always go through the motions [slitting throat]"
It got even worse. His fame back home led to hours of torture and beatings at the hands of a sadistic guard nicknamed The Bird. "I couldn't bear to look at his eyes. I just couldn't do it. To me, they were that sadistic," he said.When he wasn't being beaten, he was starved, like most of the Americans held by the Japanese. But somehow, he survived.
Louis Zamperini returned home a hero. There were TV appearances, including "This Is Your Life." His life appeared to return to normal.
But the war years, while gone, were anything but forgotten. Haunted by nightmares, he turned to alcohol.
Then, in a last-ditch effort to save his marriage, and perhaps his life, Zamperini joined his wife Cynthia at a prayer service led by a young Billy Graham. Graham's sermon touched on the power of forgiveness.
"That was the first night in two-years-and-a half that I didn't have a nightmare, and I haven't had one since," recalled Zamperini. He said forgiveness "was the complete healing factor in my life."
Which is why Zamperini decided to commit himself to a lifetime of forgiveness.
And that meant he had to go back to Japan, to see the prison guards who'd tried so hard to destroy him.
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Andrea Bocelli performing 'Ave Maria' in the Roman Colosseum
From YouTube user DREAMER100PRE
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"Amazing Grace - Best Version By Far!
The is by far one of the best versions of this Hymn I have ever heard. It so tells my life story. Put on headphones or find a quite place where you can sit back and be touched by this most beautiful version of Amazing Grace."
--YouTube user truthcrisis
"This is, of course, Judy Collins, who is one of my favorites and she does this song so well!"
--Colleen Meegan
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'Pompeii' (film) [Wikipedia]
Pompeii (referred to in marketing as Pompeii in 3D) is a 2014 German-Canadian historical disaster film produced and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The film stars Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas, Jared Harris, and Kiefer Sutherland. It premiered in France, Belgium, and Russia on February 19, 2014 and was released over the course of the next two days in many major territories, including the United States, Canada, India, and Australia.
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'Pompeii' wasn't an "epic" movie, such as 'Spartacus', 'Braveheart', or 'Gladiator'. It was a good movie, and like 'Braveheart', it brought a historical event to life. Apparently, Pompeii was something of a resort city within the Roman Empire... located near modern Naples. It was a major city, and was perhaps more perceived as a "resort town" by Roman authorities.
It would not be giving away the movie to state the obvious... that Pompeii was located right near the foot of Mt. Vesuvius, which was an active volcano which destroyed the city in a horrific manner in 79 AD. Actually it wasn't the lava which destroyed the city and killed its inhabitants, but the real details are too gruesome to go into now. The plot of the movie was fictional.
The film opens with scenes of plaster casts of the victims of Pompeii as quotes on the destruction are made. The opening scene is from the Roman province of Britannia, where Celtic Britons lose in a revolt against the Roman army. The only survivor is a male child named Milo who becomes one of the two chief protagonists. He grows up to be a gladiator in Britannia, and naturally he has a desire for revenge against the Romans in a political and military sense. He is eventually taken to Pompeii to fight in the colosseum arena there, where he meets a princess named Cassia whose father is the city ruler Severus (Jared Harris). Severus' wife, Aurelia, is played by Carrie-Anne Moss. She has such a great character face.
The love affair between Milo (Kit Harington) and Cassia (Emily Browning) is the main plot around which the whole movie revolves. I thought Kiefer Sutherland played the best role, as far as character acting, in the role of Senator Corvus.. a powerful Senator from Rome who was forcing himself on the city's first family while pursuing Cassia for marriage. Naturally Corvus, a classic "bad guy," came into conflict with Milo. This was a very fast-paced film which fits events which would have unfolded over a year or two... into a few days.
The graphics of this movie were very good. Pompeii reminded me of what I perceive Etruscan cities to have looked. The beautiful imagery of the city against the mountains and countryside. During the opening scene in Pompeii.. it was during the "Festival of Vinalia"... a Roman harvest festival held in April and August. Later, the harbor of Pompeii was shown as spectacular and very advanced. Not surprisingly, the special effects of Mt. Vesuvius blowing looked like the end of the world. For the people of Pompeii, it was.
Milo's legitimate issue with Roman authority went along with what was portrayed as a bit of an autonomous feeling by the Pompeiians against Roman dominance over them. The Romans were clearly shown as the antagonists here. One interesting quote from Senator Corvus caught my ear... where he mentions the Roman deities Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter was the god of sky and lightening... symbolized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; while Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility and prosperity... symbolized by Pompeii.
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Ennio Morricone's version of 'The Ballad of the Green Berets'.. 'La Ballata dei Berretti Verdi'. I don't think it was composed for a movie, but I'm not positive about that.
"Wonderful Morricone. He can do it all. Thanks for posting ."
--shelabacon, YouTube user
"Wonderful hymne...thank you SO much!!"
--Pedy1968, YouTube user
The original version of the song was featured in the movie 'The Green Berets' (1968) starring John Wayne.
Part of the lyrics:
"Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her this last request
Put silver wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret"
Below, the movie version, with chorus:
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A few days ago, I heard this piece on KDFC.. a classical music radio station out of San Francisco.
[From treblechoir99 - Choir of King's College, Cambridge - Gloria(Vivaldi).wmv - 'Gloria in excelsis Deo'; 2- 'Et in Terra pax'; 3 - 'Gratias agimus tibi'; 4 - 'Propter magnam gloriam' - Sir David Willcokcs, dir.]
Gloria (Vivaldi)
Antonio Vivaldi wrote at least three settings of the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo, whose words date probably from the 4th Century and which is an integral part of the Ordinary of the Mass. Two survive: RV 588 and RV 589. A third, RV 590, is mentioned only in the Kreuzherren catalogue and presumed lost. The RV 589 Gloria is a familiar and popular piece among sacred works by Vivaldi. It was probably written at about the same time as the RV 588, possibly in 1715.
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Of course, after this last week, World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner has become a household name after his super performance during the series. His coach, since he was called up from the minor leagues in 2009, is veteran player, coach, and San Jose native Dave Righetti.
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"I'm surprised the Japanese didn't take it away from me, 'cause they were short of brass," he said.But Zamperini's story was pretty much ancient history -- an elderly man waving in a parade -- until a bestselling book, "Unbroken," reminded the world of his harrowing tale.
