Chuck Norris says new film gives short shrift to war hero’s Christian faith.
On Dec. 25, the unforgettable story about Louis Zamperini, an Olympian turned World War II prisoner-of-war hero, opens in theaters nationwide. As astoundingly resilient as Zamperini was, however, his real power was found in a fact underplayed in the movie: namely, He whose birth we celebrate on Dec. 25 is the One responsible for restoring and transforming Zamperini’s heart and life.
First, let me say, few lives can compare with Zamperini’s. He lived hard from a young age. He smoked cigarettes by the time he was 5, and his favorite pastime as a youth was stealing beer from bootleggers.
Cops and his family members devised a plan to harness all his criminal energy into competitive running. It worked. By 1934, he set a record of running a mile in just 4 minutes and 21 seconds – a speed that landed him in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, alongside greats like Jesse Owens. He placed eighth in the 5,000 meters, but the last quarter mile he ran in just 56 seconds – a time that prompted even Adolph Hitler to meet him.
Louis wanted to compete in the 1940 Olympics, but Europe and then America burst into World War II. Zamperini was drafted as a bombardier for the American Army Air Corps. During a search and rescue mission for a downed American plane, Zamperini’s own plane plunged into the ocean due to engine trouble. He was among only three of 11 who survived.
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