Fayetteville Man to Return to Belgium for Battle of Bulge Anniversary-- Part 4; Grabbing Parachutes

Some of the parachutes fell into German lines or were so close that they made it hot for anyone attempting retrieval. But, by Christmas Eve, all those parachutes were in American hands. //// The siege was lifted the day after Christmas and some soldiers like Andrews realized that the parachutes that had saved them also made excellent linings for sleeping rolls and as a result, Andrews was able to hang onto several of them. //// "I gave a blue one to the family we shared the house with," he said. "A year later I visited them. The mother had used the parachute to make blue silk dresses for her four little daughters." //// Another chute became his wife Margaret's wedding dress after the war. (A dress with a history.) After coming home, Andrews donated the yellow chute to the 101st Airborne museum and he kept the last one as he continued his military service around the world. //// --GreGen