Chicago Tribune

Woman loans wedding dress made from husband's WWII parachute to 82nd Airborne Museum

It was a beautiful summer day, and a crowd had gathered in front of Aida Bonsonto's home in the Little Italy neighborhood of Chicago.

Dressed in a gown made of silk and nylon, the bride-to-be walked down the stairs and out the front door as if she was "floating on air."

In some ways, she was.

It was June 8, 1946, and Aida was wearing a dress made from her future husband's Army parachute. As the weightless fabric caught the breeze, she could feel it billow.

"I couldn't control it because it was so light. You could see it flying," she said. "It was an honor to have it and to wear it."

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