Spring Poppy Appeal at Camp Smith

by COL, Ret., Arthur Tulak

The Commandery conducted a Poppy Appeal outside of the Marine Exchange Mart at Camp Smith on 26 and 27 May. Our Commandery is the only Veteran Organization meeting on Camp Smith, and was the first organization to be approved for fundraising during the pandemic last November ahead of Veterans Day. Volunteering to carry out this important two-day event were Companions Tulak, Curtis, Manchester, and Fred Staedel, accompanied by his wife Becky. Over the course of the two days, the volunteers engaged in conversation with many passersby, informing them about the history and purpose of Memorial Day. The holiday tradition of communities remembering their Commander LTC Manchester, Becky and Fred Staedel outside the Marine Mart at Camp Smith, 27 May 2020.fallen Veterans with flowers on their graves began in Georgia, in the spring of 1866, when the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia , passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate war dead. The States that joined to form the Confederacy established different dates for Confederate Memorial Days as State Holidays, many which continue to be observed today. Following the Confederates, on May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic established “Decoration Day,” by General Orders, No. 11, issued by General John Arthur Logan designating the 30th day of May as a remembrance holiday “… for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country” during the war. As flowers were a central component of the holiday, holding in during the Spring time ensured that flowers would be in bloom and available to decorate so many graves from America’s deadliest war.

Most Veterans Organizations have identified a flower to represent their organization, which then became its symbol for their recognition of our War dead. Many of the victorious Allied powers of the First World War, the poppy was adopted as the memorial flower, a tradition carried on today by our Australian, British, Canadian, and New Zealand Allies. The Hawaii Commandery has selected the Poppy flower, as it is appropriate for recognizing those who died in WWI, and therefore the perfect symbol for our support to ANZAC Day and Armistice Day (Veterans Day) commemorations. The selection of the poppy also symbolizes the fact that the Order includes Allied Officers, of which many are posted to the HQs of the Joint and Service Commands in the State of Hawaii. Here are the flowers selected by various Veterans Organizations that are their symbol for remembrance: • Veterans of Foreign Wars (est. 1898), voted at its 1923 annual encampment, to have VFW "Buddy"® Poppies assembled by disabled and needy veterans who would be paid for their work to provide them with financial assistance. • American Legion (est. 1919) selected the red poppy flower, and established an annual “National Poppy Day”® which for 2021 fell on Friday, 28 May. The American Legion explains on its website “The red poppy is a nationally recognized symbol of sacrifice worn by Americans since World War I to honor those who served and died for our country in all wars.” • Marine Corps League (est. 1923) adopted the “Marine Corps Rose” as its flower for remembrance • Military Order of the Purple Heart, (est. 1932) adopted the Purple Heart Viola as its official flower. • American Veterans (AMVETS, est. 1944) selected the White Clover as its official flower in 1946. The meaning of the White Clover is “remember me,” with its four clover leaves representing the Armed Services. • Vietnam Veterans of America (est. 1979) has adopted a symbolic flower with red stamen pistils emerging from yellow petals laid over a green circle of the sepal that represents the colors of the Flag of the Republic of Vietnam, for which its members fought to protect from Communist oppression.