How It All Goes Down
Mother's Day
- The train stops at almost every town so the soldiers can glug sake and whatever else they can get their hands on.
- Louie is eventually brought to an airfield to be flown to Okinawa.
- In Okinawa, it finally sinks in that most of the men Louie knew are now dead.
- Also, he's examined in the hospital and realizes that he'll "never run again" (4.33.23).
- On September 9, Louie's family finds out that he's finally coming home. "September 9 is going to be Mother's Day to me, because that's the day I learned for sure my boy was coming home to stay" (4.33.29), says his mom. Aw…
- Phil, one-legged Fred, and the others of Rokuroshi get to go home on September 11. In Yokohama, before they ship out, they're fed pancakes and greeted by a band playing "California, Here I Come."
- On the way home, Louie flies over Kwajalein, which has pretty much been wiped off the face of the map.
- On October 16, Phil arrives home, and gets to marry Cecy four weeks later.
- Louie finally gets transferred to Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco in October.
- Pete meets him there and brings him home, finally reuniting the Zamperini family.