A fortunate encounter between a Luling pilot and 10-year-old Italian boy in World War II gave rise to a 73-year-old story.
When Lt. Jules J. Hymel's airplane crashed in northern Italy on Christmas Eve in 1943, a young boy named Egidio Girardi of San Luca and his brother rushed to the scene to find the pilot dangling from a parachute in a chestnut tree. Girardi and his family aided Hymel, who was injured, but brought him to the hospital when he needed more medical care. He was arrested by the German military despite the family's efforts to conceal his identity.
Source: http://www.heraldguide.com/
