Bridal gown woven from WWII parachute on display at Cradle of Aviation
The daughter of the bride who wore the dress, Sister Kate Braet, who is a veteran herself, was joined by family members to see the dress on display.
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A rare World War II wedding dress is on display at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.
The dress, made from a parachute, will be able to be viewed by the public from Feb 14-22.
The daughter of the bride who wore the dress, Sister Kate Braet, who is a veteran herself, was joined by family members to see the dress on display.
News 12 took an in-depth look at the dress in Nov. 2020. Here's the story:
Brides traditionally wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. But 75 years ago this week, a bride from Long Island wore something that made a statement about the greatest generation.
Woven in the threads of a vintage bridal gown is a true story of heroism, ingenuity and a lot of luck.
The dress was worn by Kate Braet's mother in 1945. Fashioned out of the World War II parachute that saved her father's life.
"A parachute that was meant to save somebody from a crashing plane became the symbol of their lifelong love for each other,” says Braet.
The parachute is similar to the one worn by Air Corps pilot Lt. George Braet during a mission over Hitler's Europe.
On February 4, 1944 — George's B-17 bomber came under attack by 20 Nazi fighters.
"He's sitting on his parachute and the flak was coming in from everywhere and one piece that was like a bullet, came up and the parachute stopped the piece from hitting him. If it had been a little bit of a different angle, it would have killed him. So the parachute saved his life," says Braet.
His fiancée, Evelyn Boyle, was so grateful her sweetheart survived — she took one look at the war-torn parachute and began a labor of love.
"She looked at that pile of silk and said that looks like a wedding dress to me," says Braet.
Turning the parachute into a wedding gown was quite a challenge because the parachute was shredded by flak, but Evelyn found a skilled seamstress who stitched together intact silk triangles from the parachute.
Evelyn and George tied the knot on Nov. 10, 1945. The recycled parachute-wedding gown made a statement about the bride's resourcefulness and the groom's bravery in battle.
The Braets raised five children in Hauppauge and shared 60 years of marriage. Although the couple passed years ago, their love story will live on.
Kate and her brother Mike donated their mother's 75-year-old wedding dress to the Cradle of Aviation Museum to teach visitors about the courage and sacrifices of the greatest generation.
