The origin of the red poppy at Memorial Day
The origin of the Red Poppy at Memorial Day I remember as a child my family and I would go downtown to the annual parade Memorial Day weekend and I would get handed a wire stemmed felt red poppy usually from the American Legion. I loved those little flowers. And I am very sad to admit that I didn't know the meaning behind them until today. If this is also the case for you, I invite you to read on. During World War 1 (1914-1918), the tradition of the red poppy at Memorial Day had it's beginning. This excerpt is taken from a HISTORY.COM article written by BARBARA MARANZANI: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae "In the spring of 1915, bright red flowers began poking through the battle-ravaged land across northern France and Flanders (northern Belgium). Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who served as a brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit, spotted a cluster of the poppies shortly after serving as