Pin a poppy on Memorial Day

The red poppy, or Remembrance Poppy, has been a symbol of lives lost to war since World War I (1914–1918). Pinning a poppy is a popular way to show support and respect for fallen soldiers. You can also show your support by giving to a charity fundraiser that serves veterans like the American Legion.

The poppy as a symbol of fallen military, started with a poem. Canadian artillery unit brigade surgeon Lt. Colonel John McCrae saw bright-red poppies blooming on the war-torn fields in 1915 where some 87,000 Allied soldiers had died. The somber sight moved him to write the famous poem In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

The poem was published in a London magazine and later syndicated in other Allied countries. Two women who would go on to play a role in making the poppy a symbol of Memorial Day.

A stunning 8.5 million soldiers lay dead due to battlefield injuries or disease. The Great War ravaged the landscape of Western Europe.

Show your gratitude and pin a poppy! FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Reference material taken in part from the following source(s): Reader’s Digest and The History Channel.