” In Flanders Field the poppies blow…”

The iconic poem “In Flanders Field” was written by a Canadian soldier and physician, Lt. Col. John McRae during the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium during WWI in 1915. Over 850,000 Allied casualties resulted from the three battles fought within the provinces of East Flanders and West Flanders (1914-1918).

This area was vital to the Allied Force’s supply lines as it was a railway junction and a gateway to the English Channel. As the soil was disturbed from burials and the battle itself, the long dormant poppy seed germinated. What resulted was a sea of red poppies that inspired the poem. Image seeing nature’s beauty amid such ugliness.

Some soldiers even pressed these poppies and sent them home in letters. The poppy quickly became a symbol of remembrance to honor those fallen soldiers of WWI. It has since evolved to represent those who died while serving in all wars and subsequent conflicts.

Please, seek out a poppy to wear. They are available at the Post during the month of May or around town on Poppy Day May 8.  Put that poppy on for Memorial Day as well.

We will have our annual program on May 25, details to be announced.

Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day when people would decorate their loved one’s graves who had been lost to the Civil War.

Memorial Day is a solemn day of remembrance to honor those who died while serving in the military.

Wear your poppy proudly and reflect on the true cost of war and the importance of cherishing peace. As long as there are those that are here to remember,  

“We shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.”

Erin Hensel 

Auxiliary President