I had tickets for a pre-screening of the film Unbroken on Tuesday, but missed it. I am sorry that I missed it because I have been looking forward to seeing the film. This story has been in the back of my mind since I was a teenager. I actually met Louis Zamperini; well, I got to shake his hand. He spoke at one of our youth meetings and told much of his story. I have always been interested in the history of WWII, so the story stuck with me. Then, earlier this year I read Laura Hildebrand's book, Unbroken. Wow, what a story of courage as well as faith, compassion and forgiveness.
If you are unfamiliar with the story, some of the high points are these:
- He was a juvenile delinquent
- He became a runner and was a champion at USC
- He was in the Berlin Olympics of 1936
- He was a navigator aboard a B24 bomber in the Pacific
- After a crash, he was adrift in a two man life raft for 47 days
- He was saved by the Japanese who immediately imprisoned him
- He was brutalized in the prison camp
- After the war, he suffered badly from PTSD
- He accepted Christ at the Billy Graham LA crusade of 1949
- He was healed of his PTSD
- Began to serve the Lord
- Returned to Japan and forgave his captors
As a believer, I see God's hand all the way through his life. The fact that he made it through the horrible experiences is a testament to his character and courage -- but I believe that we see the grace of God also.
When he accepted Christ, he was immediately transformed; the nightmares that he had suffered (the PTSD) ceased that night and have never returned. A God blessed life.
The movie which will be released on Christmas day is directed by Angelina Jolie. There are already many complaints that, since she is not a believer, the Christianity is downplayed. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't seen the movie. I did see an interview of Angelina Jolie and Laura Hildebrand by Tom Brokaw. Louis Zamperini also participated. There was also a clip of Billy Graham preaching in 1949 with Franklin Graham describing Zamperini's conversion. I was blessed at the impact this man made on each of the participants in this program. If only these were impacted, it would be enough. I hope the movie is a great success, it is a story that needs to be told. I hope also that the message of God's grace; the message of the power of God's transformation of life; and the message of the healing power of Jesus Christ, comes through. If not, then it is up to us who know about such things to share with others seeing the movie, but don't know the rest of the story.
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