Flat Stanley’s Odyssey
Parachutecutie sends us a link to USAToday and the story of Brian Owens, Alan Orduna and Flat Stanley. Not our usual fare, but a god way to kick off your week;
10 years ago, in the painstaking scrawl of an 8-year-old, Alan Orduna [wrote a letter].
The Huntsville, Ark., boy, along with other students in Wood’s class, penned a note to accompany a paper cut-out modeled after the title character in the popular children’s book “Flat Stanley.” After being smashed by a bulletin board in his sleep, the book’s protagonist makes the most of his new 2-D state by mailing himself to friends.
Wood asked her students to send their Stanley cut-outs to relatives or friends, who would then take them on a journey and detail the characters’ exploits in a letter back.
Alan didn’t have a friend in mind — or at least not one who would take Stanley on an adventure worthy of a third-grader’s imagination. So, Wood sent Alan’s packet off to an Army unit stationed in Baghdad and asked Alan to wait.
Click over to the link above and read the rest, it’s a long story but worth your while. Trust me.
Category: Who knows
I had a Flat Stanley sent to me in Mosul Iraq. Took him on a couple of patrols and snapped a few pictures !
Way cool!
Awesome story.
Great story, but, man it’s dusty in here. Must be allergies.
My flat Stanley became an object lesson when he ran out in front of the firing line and got stuck to a target.
Jonn I have several nieces and nephews. I have done so many Flat Stanley’s I could do them in my sleep. But man those kids get a kick out it.
Enigma4you, now that’s just mean 😀 …funny as HELL…but holes in Flat Stanley? I’ll have to remember to try that on my next FS go around!! LMAO 😀 😀
Dang, that was a good read. Made my day!
I had Flat Stanley with me in Fairbanks a few years ago. We were teaching a Stryker class to some soon-to-deploy Soldiers at Ft Wainwright. Flat Stanley was in my copy of the POI, which was given by my partner to a Staff NCO. I had to type up a letter about how Flat Stanley want to go to the Stan with the boys and wasn’t coming home to Michigan after all.