The Poppy as the memorial flower for American war dead is a tradition which began in the years following the first world war. Veterans returning to their homes in this country remembered the wild poppies which lined the devastated battlefields of France and Flanders, and the soldiers of all nations came to look upon this flower as a living symbol of their dead comrades' sacrifice. A Canadian officer, Colonel John McCrae, immortalized the flower in his famous poem, "In Flanders' Fields".
Returning servicemen brought with them memories of the battlefield poppies, and the flower soon took on a sacred significance. The poppy soon became a symbol of honoring the dead and assisting the living victims of war.
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| Courtesy http://vfwne.com/ |
Soon after the armistice, patriotic organizations in different countries began conducting poppy sales. The flowers, made by disabled servicemen, raised funds for relief work among handicapped veterans and their families. Wearing a poppy came to mean honor the dead and help the living.
(Information source: The American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters/Poppy Program)
