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Who Is Cissy Zamperini? All About Cissy Zamperini’s Father, Louis Zamperini, His Children, And His Family

Last Updated on March 21, 2023 by admin

Cissy Zamperini

The age of Cissy Zamperini is 62 years old. The story of Olympic athlete Cissy’s father Louis Zamperini as told in his book and in Angelina Jolie’s 2014 film Unbroken, is well known to many people. This guide will give you details about Cissy Zamperini and her famous father Louis Zamperini.

Age of Cissy Zamperini

The age of Cissy Zamperini is 62 years.

Who is Louis Zamperini?

Cissy Zamperini is the daughter of Louis Zamperini who is an Olympic athlete. A native of Olean, New York State, USA, Louis Silvie Zamperini was an Olympian athlete and a Japanese prisoner during World War II. He was born on January 26, 1917, and grandparents of Cissy Zamperini were Italian.

During the 2008 induction ceremony for the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, Zamperini was inducted into the hall of fame. The family he grew up in was strict and devoutly Catholic. Even though he took up smoking and drinking very young, he remained addicted to them.

Family of Louis Zamperini

Besides his parents, Anthony Zamperini and Louise Dossi, he also had a brother and two sisters named Virginia and Sylvia. Louis Zamperini got married in 1946 to Cynthia Applewhite. Louis Zamperini has two children, Cissy Zamperini and Luke Zamperini.

Professional career of Cissy’s father in Olympic

Zamperini and Lash were widely believed to have a better chance of winning the 1936 5,000 meters race than Lauri Lehtinen, the world record holder. In the years following his Olympic experience, he shared several stories.

It was common for Louis Zamperini to gain considerable weight during the trip; he gained 12 pounds (5 kilograms) in his case. During training in New York for the Olympic Trials, he had gained 15 pounds (7 kg) in the summer heat. He needed the weight gain for his health.

During that Olympics, Zamperini finished eighth in the 5,000-meter event in 14 minutes 46.8 seconds, just behind Finnish record holder Gunnar Hacker (world record holder Lehtinen finished second, and Zamperini’s teammate Lash finished 13th).

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Despite this, Adolf Hitler demanded a meeting with him after observing the 56-second lap he completed on his final lap. Zamperini told him the story, and Hitler shook his hand and said, “You’re the fast boy.” A competitor spiked Zamperini during the 1938 collegiate mile race, causing severe wounds to his shins, earning him the nickname “Torrance Tornado.”

Services in World War II

Zamperini was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon enlisting in the United States Army Air Force in September 1941. A bombing mission was carried out against Nauru by Super Man in April 1943, while Zamperini served as a bombardier. Three Japanese Zeros attacked his craft following the successful raid, and the bomber sustained significant damage. There were five wounded crew members, one of whom died.

On the return flight after the April 21 Nauru raid, Zamperini administered first aid to two wounded members of his Liberator bomber crew, saving their lives. “The large four-engine bomber’s fuselage and tail structure were found to contain thousands of bullet fragments after it skidded to a halt with a flat tire.”

The prisoner of war

The Japanese Navy took Zamperini and Phillips prisoner after they reached the Marshall Islands on their 47th day adrift without food or water. They were held for three years, severely beaten, and mistreated until August 1945, when they were finally liberated.

They were held at Kwajalein Atoll for 42 days, and after the 42 days were up, they were transferred to the Japanese POW camp, Fauna, where they were kept as unregistered prisoners of war.

The Japanese didn’t send Zamperini to the Mori POW camp in Tokyo until almost a year after he had arrived in Ofuna, and then to the Notes POW camp until the war ended. Mutsuhito “The Bird” Watanabe, a prison guard included on the list of forty most wanted Japanese war criminals by General Douglas MacArthur, tormented him.

A Japanese prisoner named Zamperini wrote Italian recipes to distract the prisoners from the food and conditions in his book, Baa Baa Black Sheep, written by then-Major Greg “Pappy” Boyington.

Death of Cissy Zamperini’s father

As a result of a mistaken classification by the US government during World War II, Zamperini was mistakenly classified as killed in action. A formal condolence note was even sent to Zamperini’s parents by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. It was not until late 1945 that Zamperini realized that he was still alive and free.

It wasn’t until 70 years later that he died of pneumonia at his Los Angeles home on July 2, 2014; he was 97 at the time of his death.

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