The Poppies Place in Military History By Ken Riege USAF 1985 – 1993
Ken Riege USAF 1985 – 1993 More than 100 years have passed since the United States entered WWI, and the red poppy is still the symbol of the sacrifices made by those who were in the fight against Germany. Millions of people across the globe including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Belgium observe Remembrance Day or Armistice Day on November 11th by wearing a red poppy flower to commemorate those who lost their lives in wars. In the United States, we call it Veterans Day. This day is set aside to show appreciation for all military personnel who have served their country. However, in the US we wear the red poppy on Memorial Day to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. The question here is: How did the poppy come to symbolize the sacrifices of WWI? To the best of my knowledge and from what I have read, much of the fighting took place in Western Europe. The Belgium Flanders, the northernmost point of the Western Front became one of the most devastated regions during the entire war. The war turned the beautiful countryside into a field of mud where nothing could grow. Nothing that is but the poppy flowers that sprouted on the land of thousands of the dead. I am sure that most people know or have heard of the poem “In Flanders Fields.”
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I also wanted to talk a little about the history of that poem, it’s author and the place the Poppy has taken in military history.
