Anchored in Christ

In many ways, Louis Zamperini is a real-life Forrest Gump. I don’t mean to say that he’s a little slow, rather he has lived one of the most interesting lives you could think of.

A former Olympic athlete who met Adolf Hitler during the 1936 Olympics in Germany, Zamperini soon found himself stranded on a raft in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days while fighting in World War II. Zamperini and his raft-mate were captured by the Japanese and held in POW camps until the end of the war. And that’s just the beginning. His story is documented in Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and now a movie directed by Angelina Jolie.

As I shared in some thoughts on the movie, movie cannot do justice to the interesting and encouraging life of Zamperini. To pick off where the movie left off, I found some great videos that tell more of Louis’ story, with an emphasis on his post-war spiritual life ignited by a dramatic conversion story at a Billy Graham crusade. Enjoy!

Unbroken – Official Trailer

CBS produced this documentary called “The Great Zamperini” for the 1998 Olympics

Zamperini Shares His Testimony at Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade in 1958 (around 5:00 mark)

Louis Zamperini at the Billy Graham Library

Louis Zamperini: 47 Days at Sea

Louis Zamperini – “Unbroken” by Men, Humbled by Jesus

Faith: Louis Zamperini reads his Letter to the Bird

Unbroken: What the Movie Doesn’t Say about Louis Zamperini (featuring Zamperini’s son)

Greg Laurie Louis Zamperini LA Harvest Interview

WWII hero and alumnus Louis Zamperini visits USC Annenberg class

Louis Zamperini Memorial

USC Trojan Marching Band Tribute to Louis Zamperini Halftime Show (if you can sit through bad camera work, this is pretty neat)