Today's Repurposeful Monday is the shortest

and sweetest I've ever posted.

 A nylon parachute that saved the life of Major Claude Hensinger, a World
War II paratrooper, was later made into his wife's wedding dress.

Source

In 1944, Major Claude Hensinger was an American B-29 pilot
returning with his crew from a bombing raid over Yowata, Japan.
When the plane's engine caught fire the Major used the parachute
to safely  jump from the doomed aircraft.  On the ground, the chute
provided shelter until the servicemen were rescued.

After returning home from war to Pennsylvania, Hensinger proposed
to his girlfriend, Ruth.  She used the life-saving parachute to create
her wedding dress, a family heirloom with a romantic provenance.

Major and Mrs. Claude Hensinger on their wedding day, July 19,
1947, at the Neffs Lutheran Church, Neffs, Pennsylvania.

So, what happened to the dress?  The Hensinger's daughter and their son's
bride wore the dress at their weddings.  The Hensingers later donated
the gown to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Such a beautiful story.