| Veterans Day is November 11th |
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.
This was the poem written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with
Canada 's First Brigade Artillery. It expressed McCrae's grief over the "row on
row" of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders ' battlefields, located in a
region of western Belgium and northern France. The poem presented a striking
image of the bright red flowers blooming among the rows of white crosses and
became a rallying cry to all who fought in the First World War. The first printed
version of it reportedly was in December 1915, in the British magazine Punch.
McCrae's poem had a huge impact on two women, Anna E. Guerin of France and
Georgia native Moina Michael. Both worked hard to initiate the sale of artificial
poppies to help orphans and others left destitute by the war. By 1920, when
Guerin, with the help of the American Legion, established the first poppy sale in the
U.S., the flower was well known in the allied countries — America, Britain, France,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand — as the "Flower of Remembrance."
Proceeds from that first sale went to the American and French Children's League.
Guerin had troubles with the distribution of the poppies in early 1922 and sought
out Michael for help. Michael had started a smaller-scaled Poppy Day during a
YMCA conference she was attending in New York and wanted to use the poppies
as a symbol of remembrance of the war. Guerin, called the "Poppy Lady of France"
in her homeland, and Michael, later dubbed "The Poppy Princess" by the Georgia
legislature, went to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for help.
The poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the VFW at its national
convention in Seattle, Wash., in August 1922, following the first nationwide
distribution of poppies ever conducted by any veterans organization.
In 1923, faced by a shortage of poppies from French manufacturers, the VFW
relied on New York florists to make up the difference. This was a huge setback,
however, and led to the idea by VFW officials to use unemployed and disabled
veterans to produce the artificial flower. This concept was approved in late 1923
and the first poppy factory was built in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1924. This provided a
practical means of assistance to veterans and also ensured a steady, reliable
source of poppies. Veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities
and veterans homes help assemble the poppies, and each year the VFW
distributes roughly 14 million worldwide.
It was around the same time the first poppy factory was built that the VFW
registered the name "Buddy Poppy" with the U.S. Patent Office. The term "Buddy"
was coined by the poppy makers as a tribute to their comrades who did not come
home from the war or who were scarred and crippled for life.
The VFW celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Buddy Poppy as its official flower
in 1997. While profits from its sales have helped countless veterans and their
widows, widowers and orphans over the years, the poppy itself survives as a
perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation's freedom
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.
This was the poem written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with
Canada 's First Brigade Artillery. It expressed McCrae's grief over the "row on
row" of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders ' battlefields, located in a
region of western Belgium and northern France. The poem presented a striking
image of the bright red flowers blooming among the rows of white crosses and
became a rallying cry to all who fought in the First World War. The first printed
version of it reportedly was in December 1915, in the British magazine Punch.
McCrae's poem had a huge impact on two women, Anna E. Guerin of France and
Georgia native Moina Michael. Both worked hard to initiate the sale of artificial
poppies to help orphans and others left destitute by the war. By 1920, when
Guerin, with the help of the American Legion, established the first poppy sale in the
U.S., the flower was well known in the allied countries — America, Britain, France,
Canada, Australia and New Zealand — as the "Flower of Remembrance."
Proceeds from that first sale went to the American and French Children's League.
Guerin had troubles with the distribution of the poppies in early 1922 and sought
out Michael for help. Michael had started a smaller-scaled Poppy Day during a
YMCA conference she was attending in New York and wanted to use the poppies
as a symbol of remembrance of the war. Guerin, called the "Poppy Lady of France"
in her homeland, and Michael, later dubbed "The Poppy Princess" by the Georgia
legislature, went to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for help.
The poppy was adopted as the official memorial flower of the VFW at its national
convention in Seattle, Wash., in August 1922, following the first nationwide
distribution of poppies ever conducted by any veterans organization.
In 1923, faced by a shortage of poppies from French manufacturers, the VFW
relied on New York florists to make up the difference. This was a huge setback,
however, and led to the idea by VFW officials to use unemployed and disabled
veterans to produce the artificial flower. This concept was approved in late 1923
and the first poppy factory was built in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1924. This provided a
practical means of assistance to veterans and also ensured a steady, reliable
source of poppies. Veterans at Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities
and veterans homes help assemble the poppies, and each year the VFW
distributes roughly 14 million worldwide.
It was around the same time the first poppy factory was built that the VFW
registered the name "Buddy Poppy" with the U.S. Patent Office. The term "Buddy"
was coined by the poppy makers as a tribute to their comrades who did not come
home from the war or who were scarred and crippled for life.
The VFW celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Buddy Poppy as its official flower
in 1997. While profits from its sales have helped countless veterans and their
widows, widowers and orphans over the years, the poppy itself survives as a
perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation's freedom
From the Department of Veterans Affairs
website.
website.
November 11th is meant to remember all
veterans living and dead.
We have much to be thankful for and I want to
thank all veterans and active personnel,
thank you.
veterans living and dead.
We have much to be thankful for and I want to
thank all veterans and active personnel,
thank you.
Aspiring Writers Magazine Autumn Edition
2006
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