A bridal gown made from a silk parachute brought home by intrepid soldier
Betsy Walters is transformed for her granddaughter by a Maine costumier.

By Colin W. Sargent

“My mom was just a hot ticket,” says her son, Richard Walters of Wells. “When World War II broke out, she was the only child in the family. She wanted to contribute. Since she didn’t have a brother in the service, she went and signed up herself–without her parents knowing.”
What an opening scene. That’s what undaunted courage really means.
In a whirlwind, young New England Army recruit Betsy E. E. Graham Walters (1922-2020) found herself stationed in the teeth of the War in the Pacific. As a medical secretary in the Office of the Army Flight Surgeon in the dangerously contested island bases at Hollandia, New Guinea; Leyte in the Philippines; and Manila in the Philippines, Betsy served in the sphere of General Douglas MacArthur—the target of every enemy Zero fighter plane in the Pacific Theater.

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