The Japanese tortured him mainly because of his Olympic status. Louis' most tormenting sergeant was Mutsuhiro Watanabe. Taking a particular interest in Zambrini, he tortured him constantly. Zamperini was an icon to the villagers of Ofuna, Japan, and Watanabe felt that Zamperini challenged his authority for this reason. Mutsuhiro did horrible things to Louis, like holding a log over his head for half an hour and then hitting him repeatedly. Louis was determined not to lose his faith. He fought against torture and starvation. The sergeant hoped to break it. Nothing could break Zambrini. There was no way he was going to let anyone tell him what to do or how to act. He was hard as nails. His pain didn't end until two years later, when America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The war was