Unbroken and unbowed: The real story behind the Christian war hero of 'Unbroken'

Hollywood films today are often big budget affairs with rugged heroes and gorgeous women, selling the idea that sex and material possessions-cool cars, large houses and money-are the key to a happy life and the only reason to succeed.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - One would be hard pressed to find a recent Hollywood hit that tells a simpler story about a person just struggling through life, trying to survive circumstances that they have little control over without resorting to copious violence or impressive CGI explosions. Usually these more down to earth films-even if their plots revolve around extraordinary circumstances-don't sell.

But those days may be over, and the Hollywood epic may return to a more realistic era, heralded by the miraculous and true story of Louis "Louie" Zamperini, as portrayed in the wartime drama "Unbroken".

While all films about true and incredible journeys and hard struggles must be toned down for the big screen, Zamperini's life was truly as fantastic, and actually more incredible, as the movie portrays.

The man was an Olympian-he ran the 5,000-meter in the 1936 Olympics in Germany, finishing eighth-and a veteran of WWII who survived 47 days stranded in the middle of the Pacific on a life-raft and more than two years as a prisoner of war.

While born a Catholic, Zamperini didn't truly embrace God until after the war, in 1949, when he become a born-again Christian, an event which would help him battle through his PTSD and chronic, reoccurring nightmares.

As his son, Luke Zamperini said of him: "his ordeal at sea, 47 days adrift and 27 months in a Japanese prison camp, he came home with what we know today as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it really took a toll on him."

Zamperini's PTSD was most evident in anger he harbored and "in a recurring nightmare he had had almost every night since the day he had first met 'the Bird' (a particularly vicious guard), of being beaten by the Bird, and then trying to kill him with his bare hands.

"He self medicated with alcohol; he became agitated easily and got in fist fights often. He harbored vengeance in his heart; he wanted to go back to Japan and find his former captors, particularly one known as 'the Bird', and do them in."

In 1949, Luke explained, his mother took his father to a Billy Graham crusade event in Los Angeles, where his life was forever changed by turning back to God and away from anger, hatred and pain.

"He walked into that Billy Graham meeting, he heard the message, and after much self-examination he went forward into the prayer area behind the stage and found a young councilor to help him with the process. He got on his knees and he told me that when he stood up again he realized that he was done getting drunk, that he was done fighting and that he had forgiven all of his captors.

"When he went home that night from the Billy Graham meeting, he didn't have that nightmare, and he didn't have it again for as long as he lived."

So profound was this rebirth, that Zamperini ended up actively seeking out those who had treated him so brutally during his two years of captivity to offer them forgiveness and Christian love.

"A year later he found himself going back to Japan, not to seek vengeance, but to preach the word," Luke said. "He went back there and personally forgave every one of the prison guards he could find."

The Bird was one of those who Zamperini couldn't find. Wanted for war crimes, the Bird had gone into hiding.

But for all of that, Luke said, he still loved his father mostly because he was just there for him.

"He was a hero to me, but that was because he was my dad," he said. "It was just incredible to have him as a dad and be aware of his story.

"For all he went through he was the most happy and joyful person I ever knew, he had such a superb sense of humor."

Zamperini spent his later years traveling and spreading the love of Christ, using his own incredible story as an example-in Luke's words-of "the power of Jesus and forgiveness" and its ability to give strength and heal wounds unseen and unknown.

Louis Zamperini died on July 2, 2014 at the age of 97. With his passing another great man, a great Christian and a war hero left the earth.

You can still check out Unbroken here.

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