“The measure of a man may be his willingness to serve his country.

The measure of a country may be its willingness to honor those who served.”

From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.

The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war, and represented the hope that none had died in vain. The American Legion Auxiliary Poppy has continued to bloom for the casualties of four wars, its petals of paper bound together for veterans by veterans, reminding America each year that the men and women who have served and died for their country deserve to be remembered.

The Poppy program is the oldest and most widely recognized program in the American Legion Auxiliary. Each year around Memorial Day, Auxiliary volunteers distribute millions of bright red crepe paper poppies in exchange for contributions to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans. This program provides multiple benefits to the veterans and to the community.

Hospitalized veterans who make the flowers are able to earn a small wage, which helps to supplement their incomes and make them feel more self-sufficient. The physical and mental activity involved also provides therapeutic benefits to these disabled veterans. Donations are used exclusively to assist and support veterans and their families. The poppy also reminds the community of past sacrifices and continuing needs of veterans. Auxiliary members endeavor to explain the true meaning of the little flower to all those who receive it. The poppy has become a nationally known and recognized symbol of sacrifice; and, is worn and used to honor the men and women who served and died for their country.

The poppy serves as a tribute to the lives lost in wars and conflicts, as well as honoring living veterans; so, it is fitting that Art Semro Unit 28 American Legion Auxiliary will begin distributing poppies in Ephrata and Soap Lake the weekend of Armed Forces Day (May 18, 2024) and conclude right after Memorial Day (May 30th (observed is 27th)). If you wish to give a donation to help us serve our veterans, and don’t happen to see an Auxiliary member, feel free to stop by the American Legion Hall at 276 8th Avenue NW, Ephrata; or you can mail it to PO Box 904 Ephrata, WA 98823 (if writing a check, please make it payable to American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 28).

Please remember, donations are great but they are not the primary reason we distribute this little crepe flower. Wearing/displaying the poppy serves as a tribute to the lives lost in the wars and conflicts, and honors the living veteran as well.

The Poppy Story

In Flanders Field the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The 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 live,

In Flanders Field.

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 Field.

Colonel John McCrae

The Poppy Story

In Flanders field the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row.

That mark our place; and in the sky

The 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 live,

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.

Colonel John McCrae

On the World War I battlefields of Belgium, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape. A surgeon

with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery, Col. McCrae expressed his grief over “row on row” of soldiers’

graves who had died on Flanders battlefields. The poem he wrote became a rallying cry to all who fought

in that war.

His words lived on in Moina Michael, a YMCA volunteer who worked with soldiers in New York City.

To keep the message of the poem alive, Miss Michael wore a red silk poppy to honor these brave men and

envisioned the poppy as a memorial to all veterans.

Her idea to mass-produce and distribute the flower throughout the country came to the attention of the

newly established American Legion. The poppy was officially adopted as the national symbol of

remembrance by the Legion at its Cleveland Convention on September 29, 1920. In 1921, during the first

convention in Kansas City, Missouri, the Auxiliary added its support and agreed to distribute the flowers.

The first poppies were silk and made in France by war widows and orphans. In 1922, at the suggestion of

American veterans, unemployed and disabled veterans in American hospitals began to manufacture the

flowers.

In 1924, the American Legion Auxiliary was given total responsibility for poppy production and

distribution. The Poppy program is now one of the oldest and most beneficial Auxiliary programs for

veterans and has kept the message of Col. McCrae’s little poppy alive. Poppies distributed by the

American Legion Auxiliary here in Washington State are handmade by our hospitalized veterans, thus

helping them financially as well as providing therapeutic benefits.

WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN!

Art Semro Unit 28 American Legion Auxiliary will begin distributing poppies on Armed Forces Day

(May 18 th ) through Memorial Day May 30 th (observed is May 27th). While donations are welcome, (in

fact the donations help provide the means for us assist those who have served, and are serving, our

country) the most important thing is that wearing a poppy in remembrance shows we appreciate our

freedoms and those that provide & protect them.