Poppy day

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[i]In Flanders Fields 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 lie
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[/i]

Now, I thought this was a poem known throughout the world, in rememberance of the fallen soldiers of WWI who are buried in Flanders Fields and never made it home. Every November, Scouts, Guides, The Salvation Army etc. sell tens of thousands, if not millions of pin on poppies that are worn on the lapel or hat to show rememberace of those who fell during the war. Rememberance Day is something I have always taken very seriously, I stand with the vets at the local memorial as they perform their wreath ceremonies and speak in memory for thier lost comrades.

TODAY, after YEARS of Remembrance Day celebrations, I found out that they DON’T SELL POPPIES IN THE STAES?!?!?!? I didn’t believe it really, then someone else from Florida asked me about poppies in Canada. It blew me out of my chair to say the least, all over Europe millions of poppies are sold and worn, in Canada poppies are sold and worn, I didn’t think there was anywhere that didn’t remember November 11th by wearing poppies. In fact Remebrance Day is often referred to as Poppy Day (moreso in Europe than Canada)

Is it REALLY true that you don’t wear poopies in the US to remember the fallen vets of WWI?

Do you not recite Flanders Fields in schools, churches and ceremonies at local memorials?

Some links showing the purpose of Remeberance Day:
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/general/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/mccrae/flower

http://canada.kos.net/remembrance.html

POPPIES: FLOWER OF REMEMBRANCE: SYMBOL OF UNITY

What do you wear to show you have remembered the fallen allies who occupy Flanders Fields? Or do you just celebrate Veterans Day in memory of the US soldiers of WWI?

Topic

No poppies

In reply to Poppy day

And I’ve heard that poem before, but I don’t believe it was in association with Veterans/Armistice day. We have lots of parades around the country that start at 11am to honor the signing of the armistice, but no poppies… and not a big turnout at the parades. It’s sad really. Mostly Americans only observe for WWII.

I wish…

In reply to Poppy day

..but our nation has largely ignored the vets since Vietnam soured us on war. The anti-war crowd gained sway over our public schools, so no patriotism was ever encouraged in the schools I went to. Througout the late 70’s and 80’s it was considered “destabilizing” to be patriotic, and people put up “nuclear free zone” posters on their apartment doors. God, I hated that time. More recently, there has been a push not to mistreat the vets even if the war is opposed – a contrast to the “universal soldier” attitude of the Vietnam era.

Poems like Flander’s Fields strike a deep chord in my soul. I was brought up to honor those who fought in battle. When I was in France, I saw a small graveyard for the American soldiers who died there, and my eyes rightfully welled up, even though I was born long after their deaths.

For those who remember the fallen here in the States, we typically fly the US flag and go to parades. There is a large parade in Albany, Oregon usually. I was at one parade that had one of the last soldiers who marched in the Bataan Death March. Again, I nearly cried. Some local “peace” activists threw a fit that war was being glorified and carried signs and yelled slogans, never realizing that they wouldn’t be able to if the Nazi’s had been victorious. Today the Nazi’s are treated like a clich?, but they were as real as Al Qaeda is today, and were a lot more dangerous.

We don’t have the tradition of the poppies, but some of us still remember and honor the fallen soldiers. WWI is largely forgotten, but there are still WWII vets around to remind us of that time.

Fly your flag

In reply to I wish…

Display your flag with honor. The flag should be
flow everyday, to honor all who serve our nation.
Regardless of race, creed or religion, the flag
of the United States stands for us all.

That’s a noticable way that we differ

In reply to I wish…

In most allied countries, they remember thier veterans by a display of silence. Remembrance Day is based around 2 minutes of silence at 11AM to remember the end of WWI (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the eleventh month).

They begin with a silent wreath ceremony at local war memorials in various parks, then there are a few veterans that speak or read poems, followed by someone reciting Flanders Fields and then taps followed by the 2 minutes of silence.

When I lived in England,nobody really talked about WWII too much, too many people had lived through it and sometimes it would upset people in a public place. But there was a silent air of true pride in how England had fought off Hitlers attempts at taking the country away, a really indescribable inner pride.

What most see, that is just a matter of perception, is how the US parades and flies flags (bigger the better) and appears arrogant and not humbled by the war. It is completely different in the US, it wasn’t on your home soil(Pearl Harbour aside of course) and though thousands were ‘over there’ it wasn’t here. When the war was over, they returned home and continued thier lives, for the most part. InEurope, they WERE home and literally had to come together and rebuild a nation. The same sort of togetherness we saw after 911.

Sorry to go on but really, THIS is why others see America(ns) as being loud, crass and arrogant. In Europe it was humbling, there are STILL ruins and bunkers all over the countryside, the graves, memorials the reality is there, not on TV or the radio. I think this is what really differentiates Europeans from Americans when it comes to the War and military prowess (if there is such a thing). With Canadians, they were actually living in England many after thier entire families were relocated in teh very onset of the war, many British also moved to Canada after the war, so there seems to be a closer connection to Europe.

But the bottom line between all of us who wish for freedom and peace throughout the world is that we must NEVER forget.

No matter what we do, lets all keep our focus and think of this day as one for taking some time out of our day ot day lives and actually closing our eyes and thinking about what these brave men and women have done.

Damn, I should have broken that into chapters, sorry for getting deep but hey, it’s Remembrance Day…lest we forget.

Yes – Poppies are sold (were sold?)

In reply to Poppy day

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I will admit, I haven’t seen it in a while, but they used to be sold. I’ve even bought them in the past. However, I probably haven’t seen them in 5 or more years.

I wonder why

In reply to Yes – Poppies are sold (were sold?)

It just seems odd to stop selling poppies.

Do you think it’s perhaps the connection between poppies and WWI is not really known by many Americans and they simply don’t dell enough to make it worthwhile? The first I heard of this was when some US tourists were being inteviewed and were asking why everyone was wearing red flowers, they asked some other tourists and one thought it was PUPPIES, a way to save abandoned puppies.

I foun dit odd as I always thought this was really a global allied acknowledgement. I’m not taking shots here, I was just honestly surprised to see that poppies weren’t a mainstream remeberance token in the USA. I womdered if it was always this way or if it has just been forgotten, perhaps some other form of remembrance has been oversold and now poppies have become exctint or something.

You’re a scout leader, did you ever sell them with your troop? I remember being a teenager and if you didn’t wear one, people would ask where your poppy was, it was a really disrespectful not to.

Then again, in Canada I see fewer and fewer worn by younger people now than when I was young, are we really starting to forget? If so, then shame on us for not teaching our children the importance of what WWI AND II were all about.

I would beat my kid silly if he forgot what his ancestors did to provide the freedom he has today. I took him to England years ago and he really had his eyes opened by the constant visual reminders of what England suffered in WWII, I think it was quite humbling for him and he gained a respect that the movies just didn’t instill in him I think. The old boy at the pub had a great time educating him too.

I’d hate to see thier efforts forgotten, not in my lifetime I hope.

Not forgotten yet…

In reply to I wonder why

Oz, thanks for the post! As a 22 year veteran of the USAF I appreciated it very much. Just to let you know, I stopped by the supermarket at lunch today and there were “Veterans of Foreign Wars” representatives present collecting donations and giving out poppies. (Wearing mine proudly!) Unfortunately, you are correct on many other points. The youth of today are not taught the significance of 11/11. After living in England for 6 years, I agree your perception is different if its your soil and your sons which have been desecrated. Thanks Again!

I didn’t say nobody’s sold them recently. . . .

In reply to I wonder why

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….I just haven’t seen it. I’d guess the DAV or American Legion or some other organizations still do it.

On veterans day I’m cooped up at the office with a couple of other veterans who also don’t get the paid-government-holiday off. We’re busy keeping the wheels of industry turning so the young chick at the bank who doesn’t know a poppy from a poopy can get a paid day off instead of us veterans so she can go shopping at all the veterans day sales.

Oh

In reply to I didn’t say nobody’s sold them recently. . . .

Don’t get me wrong, I think they must sold around the US, but from what I’ve recently heard it’s not so widespread as to become almost a necessity for most Americans. I also see fewer around Vancouver too, it’s a bit of a bumer really.

Maybe I’ll head for Belgium and visit Flanders Fields one day. At least I won’t forget, even if others will.

Here’s a really well made site I found today, it’s for the Flanders Fields Museum, the background audio work is excellent. http://www.inflandersfields.be/default2.htm

I was wondering

In reply to I wonder why

if you meant the red flowers. In my area, the American Legion asks for donations on the street corners and gives you the red poppie. I usually always look forward to them. Today I was trapped in an office all day and didn’t get a chance to get mine. Normally, I keep it on my visor in my car so I see it everyday.

Around here the American Legion is still going. Although, with the older vets dying off, they are slowly closing. I don’t think the younger vets are keeping it going. It is a shame as I remember as a kid, it being such a big deal. They would have parades and some kind of festival some where. At the Legion there was always something going on. Fridays is was fish frys, Saturdays it was someones wedding, and then scouts during the week. I have always liked giving my donation just to get the poppie.

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