Bonus Post – Veteran’s Day

I've never served in the American Armed Forces.  Therefore, my debt of thanks is even greater to all of you who did.  Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken tells a spectacular story of survival, unflinching resolve, and ultimately, love and forgiveness. 

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

…an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

(from promo at Amazon listing for UNBROKEN)

My wonderful mother-in-law gave me a copy of this book.  It is a spell-binding page-turner; I could hardly put it down.  It brought me to tears and it gave me goosebumps.  The story in itself is spectacular – what Louie Zamperini endured (and forgave) is virtually incomprehensible.  Since the moment I began reading, I have come to see veterans in a completely different way.  All Americans owe all those who’ve served in the Armed Forces a deep debt of gratitude.  Let us remember them in our hearts and prayers for 364 more days after today.

And the whole world owes America a great thanks!  When you read this book, pay careful attention to how we treated the Japanese who had brutalized our servicemen for years.  “Do unto others…”