Why do people wear red poppies on Memorial Day, Veterans Day? What do red poppies represent?

This Saturday millions of people around the country will be observing Veterans Day and honoring the people who served and are still serving in the military, protecting the country and our way of life.

Some of them will be wearing red flowers on their lapels. Why?

It started during World War I.

Where did the red poppies come from?

According to the American Legion, red poppies bloomed in France and Belgium during WWI, something scientists attributed to the soil enriched with lime from rubble left over from the battles. The sight of bright red flowers sprouting among and around rows of white crosses of fallen soldiers in Flanders prompted Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery who had just buried his friend and fellow soldier, to write a poem to speak for the fallen and issue a call to action for the living.

The poem was printed in the British magazine “Punch” in 1915 and captured the attention of the British Commonwealth. It “became a rallying cry to all who fought in the First World War,” according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and was read at memorial ceremonies. The red poppy became known as the “Flower of Remembrance” in the allied countries America, Britain, France, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and became a symbol of the “war to end all wars” and its human cost.

What was the World War I poem about red poppies?

In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe 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.

Why are red poppies distributed and worn?

Red ‘Buddy® Poppies’ are distributed to honor veterans, with proceeds going to benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars Veterans Assistance Programs.

Anna E. Guérin of France and Moina Michael of Georgia both were touched by the poem and worked to create and sell artificial poppies, also known as “remembrance poppies,” to help widows and orphans who were left homeless and destitute by the war.

Michael was inspired by the poem to write her own, “We Shall Keep the Faith,” in 1918, and she campaigned to make the silk poppy a national symbol of remembrance, selling them to raise money for veterans and their families. Guérin, who had already been fundraising, traveled to the United States to create an American version of a French veterans’ organization, which used the poppy as its symbol.

The two women promoted the sale of artificial poppies to raise money for veterans, widows, orphans, bonds, and charities helping veterans such as the Red Cross. The National American Legion adopted the poppy in 1920 and made it their official flower in 1924. The Veterans of Foreign Wars helped the women when they ran into distribution problems, established the red poppy as its own official memorial flower and created the VFW Buddy Poppy, named after the factory where they were assembled.

Over 100 years later, red poppies from both the VFW and the American Legion still are handed out on veteran recognition days such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day and National Poppy Day.

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What’s the difference between the VFW and the American Legion poppies?

A man holds a poppy distributed by the Ameriocan Legion.

Both organizations use the poppies to raise money for veterans’ needs and to provide income for the veterans assembling them.

In 1920, the American Legion Auxillary successfully lobbied for National Poppy Day, the Friday before Memorial Day. The ALA distributes millions of crepe poppies annually in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in local communities. ALA poppies have a black center.

When the VFW began distributing them, they created their own and called it a Buddy Poppy. Veterans are paid to make them and donations from the program provide financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs and partially support the VFW National Home. Theirs has a green center.

Other countries also adopted the red poppy as their official symbol of remembrance, largely due to Guérin’s efforts.

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What do red poppies represent?

A man accepts a poppy from a Navy veteran after making a donation.

The red poppy is seen by many as a lasting tribute to all those who served their country and sacrificed their lives for its freedom.

When do people wear the red poppies?

The poppies are distributed on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, although they’re more commonly worn for Memorial Day in the United States. Millions of people in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Belgium, Australia and New Zealand will wear red poppies on Nov. 11 for what is still referred as outside the U.S. as Remembrance Day or Armistice Day.

Armistice Day in the U.S. was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor the sacrifice and patriotism of all veterans of U.S. wars and active-duty military personnel.

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Veterans Day: What do red poppies mean, and why do people wear them?