This past summer the incoming Freshman received a copy of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand as a gift from the Norwich University Board of Fellows (BoF). In October, the BoF Visiting Fellows hosted "book discussions" with students discussing leadership lessons learned related to Norwich's Guiding Values. Leading up to this discussion we established this blog to share your thoughts and post your own questions about the book. We encourage you to post your thoughts now that you participated in the discussion and connect with the BoF members.To get the discussion moving consider:
- Which Norwich "Guiding Values" do you feel that Lois Zamperini represented throughout his ordeal?
- Hillenbrand explores the extraordinary risks faced by America’s WWII airmen: 54,000 men killed in combat, 36,000 killed in noncombat aircraft accidents, and a stunning 15,000 men killed in stateside training—at times, an average of 19 per day. Men faced a 50% chance of being killed during combat tours of only 30-40 missions. Were you aware of the dangers faced by airmen in the Pacific war? What facts and stories were most surprising to you? (question from Hillenbrand website)
- The POWs took enormous risks to carry out thefts, sabotage, and other acts of defiance. Men would risk their lives to steal items as trivial as pencil boxes. What benefit did they derive from defiance that was worth risking death, or severe beatings? (question from Hillenbrand website)
- How does WWII literature compare to literature you've read about OIP and OEF?
In addition to participating in a book discussion also take the time to meet and talk and engage with your Visiting Committee.
RCT Warren
ReplyDelete4-4-2
I was very surprised specifically by the number of non-combat deaths due to aircraft malfunction. I can remember reading those statistics and having to pause from my reading to realize and let sink in what I had just read. Wanting to become commissioned in the Air Force myself it really sobered me up to the seriousness of war. The points that stuck out to me the most were how many men lost their lives before even deploying, and how many lost their lives without even getting off the ground. Just remembering the stories and reflecting here makes my heart heavy.
RCT Warren - do you think in today's social media and 24/hour news day (CNN) the country would have had the stomach to continue the fight had they been aware of the loss and it continually being broadcasted?
DeleteGood comment!
This book definitely shows the seriousness of war (great point) but it also shows in some ways how much has changed and how it has stayed the same. The percentage of soldiers, airmen, and sailors on the front lines is now much different than it was but the toll fighting takes, even when done through technology, is very similar. Our Psychology department is doing a lot of research on the same time of resiliency and stress response that gets highlighted here and hopefully will be able to help future generations of servicemen and women.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the third question...
ReplyDeleteI believe the POWs were risking their lives/severe beatings by stealing and sabotaging because they had a sense of dignity. The Japanese may have taken their food, worked them to the bone, and treated them like wild animals, but they would NOT take away their pride.
It is crazy to think that people could feel so little guilt in treating men, just like them, the way they were. It made me feel absolutely awful for these men and made me appreciate my freedom that much more!
Thanks for the great book!
Lois Zamperini represents many of the Norwich guiding values but the main value he shows is, “We are men and women of integrity. We shall not tolerate those who lie, cheat, or steal.” In the POW camps, every prisoner’s integrity is tested when they are forced to do things that they do not think is right. Zamperini never gives in to the Japanese. Even when he felt all hope was lost, he remained strong to try and survive for America. This is why he also represents, “We hold in highest esteem our people and reputation.” He wants to show the Japanese that Americans are strong and they will not be easily brought down. Zamperini also represents that, “we encourage the service to our nation and others before self.” He is constantly putting others before himself which is especially hard since he is starving, ill, and tired. Lois Zamperini is not only a perfect example of a good American soldier, but he is a remarkable representation of the Norwich guiding values.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Towne
RCT Lindsay Gosack
ReplyDelete13-3-2
The fact that surprises me most was the lack of adequate survival gear on the B-24. Seeing that the planes were so unreliable and had a track record of breaking, one would make one assume that every precautionary step to protect the survivors in the water would be taken. But yet they were stocked with meager rations and almost no gear. I believe that the fatality rate would have definitely decreased had the appropriate measures been taken to stock these rafts.
I believe that the Norwich Guiding Value Louie represents the most is the fourth, "We encourage service to nation and others before self." An example being in chapter 26, Madness, were he is shown around the P.O.W. camp he could stay at if he agreed to do the Japanese broadcasts. He would have a bed with sheets and pillows, "American" meals, and basic comforts he was denied. But most importantly, he would be free of the Bird. Yet, he realizes that to get all this he would have to betray his country and become a propaganda tool for Japan. The broadcast they wrote for him was a mockery of America and the shame he saw on the fellow American's face was enough for him. He chooses to serve his nation before himself and goes back to his hardships.
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ReplyDeleteMatthew Harris
ReplyDelete14-5-1
In response to the third question: I believe that nothing tangible was gained by the POW's defiant actions, in fact if anything those actions made it harder on the POW's. That is inconsequential however because although not something they could hold in their hands, what the POW's did gain was hope. Their acts of defiance served to show their captors and the POW's themselves that no matter what inhumane treatment they were subjected to, no matter if they were treated as sub-human, and no matter how awful conditions were their spirit was not broken and they were still capable of fighting back.
Hannah Stansfield
ReplyDelete14-5-1
In response to the second question: I was informed that many men were killed in battle but I was baffled when I read that even more men were killed in training. I found it astonishing and heart-breaking because their deaths were not always self-incriminated. Most of the deaths were due to faulty equipment in the planes. The planes were not safe at all. Undoubtedly many men lost their lives unfairly . They didn't even get the chance to participate in battle. I can't imagine the grief of the soldiers' mothers.
Response to question three: From being put through torturous Hell for many months, the men were stripped of their rights. They were completely naked, both metaphorically and physically. Without dignity the men felt worthless. By stealing items such as balls of rice or anything that today may seem useless, the men felt hope. When Louis successfully stole, he said that it gave him back a part of his dignity. Stealing gave them hope of winning the war. It proved to the Japanese that the captured soldiers were in fact "unbroken".