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Zamperini at age 97

Last year I had the opportunity to fly my business partner from my home airport up to Los Angeles.  I looked through the charts and found a smaller airport near LAX in the city of Torrance.  A double runway airfield right next to the ocean west of Long Beach.  Little did I know we would be flying into the the famous Zamperini Field!

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My business partner , a USMC veteran , and I get ready for the flight to Zamperini Field.  Zamperini Field was named after Louis on December 7, 1946, 5 year anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

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Arrived Zamperini Fireld  Torrance Ca with USMC Veteran Jimmy Carter
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Showcased at Zamperini Field are some of his trophies from the 1936 Olympics where he actually met Adolf Hitler at the event.  The juxtapositioning of the Nazi Flag next to the Olympic flag really strikes a nerve.  The irony.

Louis Zamperini

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More Zamperini trophies of sport and war.

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The Nazi Swastika flag Zamperini received at the 1936 Olympics.

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42nd Bomber Squadron

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 US Army Air Corp Uniform

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434th Fighter Squadron was stationed a Torrance Field during WW2
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The P-51 was a favorite here

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Lucky Louie!

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B-24 Liberator

Zamperini was a bombardier on a Consolidated B-24 Liberator seen here landing at Ramona Airport.

Unbroken

 New Universal Pictures Movie directed by Angelina Jolie features Zamperini’s story on the big screen.

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