Not many of you may know this name, but Louis Zamperini died today at the ripe old age of 97.
He competed in the 1936 Olympics in the 5000m finishing 8th as a teenager. However, more impressive is the fact that he fought in WWII in the Japanese theater as a pilot. During his time with the Navy, he was shot down in 1944 and survived 47 days in a life raft in the Pacific Ocean. He was later captured and sent to a POW camp in Japan.
You can read his story in the book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, which I highly recommend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/arts/louis-zamperini-olympian-war-survivor-unbroken-dies.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes
RIP Mr. Zamperini.