He may be a cutout, but he can still keep the kids in line

Brian Macquarrie in Boston
The 1st of September 2006


MEMBERS of the Maine National Guard in Afghanistan and Iraq have never been far from the thoughts of their loved ones - but now they're even closer, thanks to the "flat daddy" and the "flat mummy".

Life-size cutouts of deployed US service members are given by the Maine National Guard to spouses, children, and relatives at home to ride in cars, sit at the dinner table and even go to church. "I prop him up in a chair, or sometimes put him on the couch and cover him up with a blanket," said Kay Judkins, whose husband, Jim, is a minesweeper mechanic in Afghanistan.

"The cat will curl up on the blanket, and it looks kind of weird. I've tricked several people by that. They think he's home again."

At the request of relatives, about 200 photos of guard members have been enlarged and printed at the guard headquarters. The families cut out the photos, which show the guard members from the waist up, and glue them to a piece of board.

"It's a novel approach," said John Goheen, of the National Guard Association.

"It's to remind the kids that this guy and this woman is still part of your life, that this is what they look like, and this is how big they are."

Mrs Judkins said the cutout has been a comfort since her husband was deployed in January.

"He goes everywhere with me. Every day he comes to work with me," said Mrs Judkins, who works in a dentist's office.

"I just bought a new table , and he sits at the head of the table."

The Boston Globe


SMH 1-9-6

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/he-may-be-a-cutout-but-he-can-still-keep-the-kids-in-line/2006/08/31/1156817034662.html?from=rss

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