The Poppy Movement
- Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War to honor the war dead on both sides of the war. Originally established on May 5th, the date was moved to May 30th in 1868.
- Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day and the first event was held at Arlington National Cemetery where 5,000 people laid flowers on 20,000 graves.
- In 1915, inspired by the poem, “In Flanders Fields”, Moina Michael was an American professor and humanitarian who conceived the idea of using poppies as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in World War I replied with her own poem, which goes as follows:
“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on the fields where valor led
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies”.
Ms. Michael started wearing poppies as a personal tribute.
- In 1922 the VFW (Veteran\’s of Foreign Wars) became the first veteran’s organization to sell poppies nationally.
- In 1948, the US Post Office issued a red, 3 cent stamp with the likeness of Ms. Michael for establishing the National Poppy movement.
- Since 1971, it is recognized as a National Holiday that is celebrated on the last Monday in May.
- In 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed. It was a voluntary, informal moment, where at 3:00 we observe a moment of silence or listen to TAPS.
Info gathered from works by Joshua Claybourn 2014 entitled, Memorial Day.
Land of the Free Because of the Brave…
Two weeks ago, I attended “Night of Blues” fundraiser for Vietnam Veterans and was the winning bidder on a beautiful patriotic, handmade blanket. I am proud to own such a treasure as a reminder of the liberty our country offers and the sacrifice that our heroes have given to keep us free. I was in a wine store last week and I came across a bottle of wine that was called “Purple Heart”. Below you can see the images of both the wine and the blanket. If you are sitting on a blanket, enjoying a good glass of wine anytime soon, please remember those who made it possible for us to enjoy such freedoms.
Moina Belle Michael (August 15, 1869-May 10, 1944) who was mentioned in the blog was an American professor and humanitarian who conceived the idea of using poppies as a symbol of remembrance for those who served in World War I.
