162705  Poems Read Home Login

 STARS AND STRIPES

starsandstripesalwaysawarriorfantasyislandmjfb1954jackspoemschiefrockiii7dandy1wordrider1jasonlammonspromizesplishsplashbyjdwjason10thescarletbardhusofthesilverfeathersamoth
STARS & STRIPES SALUTES 90 YEAR CELEBRATION OF THE `BUDDY-POPPY!



`IN GOD WE MUST TRUST`!PhotobucketPhotobucket
`Today:©:2013:MAY/07::: Stars&Stripes` :::
****************************
CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF THE BUDDY POPPY
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The "Flower of Remembrance">>>

Babe-Ruth_MAIN.jpg
Babe Ruth presenting President Warren G. Harding with
the first official Buddy Poppy of 1923.
 
 
This Memorial Day, May 27, will mark the 90th year that the VFW
has distributed the Buddy Poppy—the Flower of Remembrance.
The Poppies are assembled by needy and disabled veterans
and distributed on Memorial Day to help raise funds for the VFW.

To commemorate this milestone, we're taking a look back at the history
of the VFW's official memorial flower.

In 1910, Col. John McCrae penned a poem called "In Flanders Fields."
It was this piece of literature that made the poppy a symbol
of freedom and remembrance:

~In Flanders Field~

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 in row by row..

In 1920, in Paris, Anna E. Guerin and a group of volunteers
created bright red artificial poppies,
which they distributed to raise funds for French orphans
and others made destitute by the war.

In 1922, Guerin approached the VFW with the idea.
The Poppy was well received, and the VFW began its
first distribution of poppies made in France.
As the demand for the flowers exploded,
florists in New York picked up the slack.

At the VFW's 1923 National Convention, it was decided
that disabled veterans would assemble the poppies,
and a factory was set up in Pittsburgh for that purpose.

At the time, Doughboys, Marines and sailors called their
friends "Buddy"—hence the name, "Buddy Poppy."
In 1924, the assembly and distribution of Poppies spread
to regions all across the country.

The Buddy Poppy has been extremely popular since its inception.
Many American presidents had the Poppies pinned to their jackets
 by girls from the National Home. In the 1940s and 1950s,
 Hollywood icons like Doris Day, Natalie Wood and Jane Wyman
became "Buddy Poppy Girls," bringing tremendous publicity
and prestige to the program.

Today, the distribution of Buddy Poppies remains a staple
of the VFW's Memorial Day activities.
More than 896 million Buddy Poppies have been distributed
since the VFW began keeping records in 1942.

As VFW National Commander John E. Hamilton said, "The Buddy Poppy
is an enduring symbol of remembrance for our comrades who
never made it off the battlefield.
The program is in a unique position to help disabled veterans
in VA hospitals and veterans homes,
while expanding the reach of VFW programs. "

©2013:
 Source: 'VFW' Veterans Newsletter.
`click here
To Visit~'BUDDY-POPPY COMMUNITY'~ to learn more.
  
To All Families Of Fallen Heroes Throughout History!"
"God Bless Us One and All!

Thank~You
'In God We Trust!
Stars and Stripes
Forever May They Wave!
©2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

`Song ~`In Flanders Field`
{(`dedicated to Derrick`/'dreamspirit of England')}








©2000 - 2022, Individual Authors of the Poetry. All rights reserved by authors.

Visit My Home Page | Start Your Own Poetry Site | PoetryPoem
[ Control Panel ]  [ Today's Poetry - ALL Poets ]   [ Search ]