American Legion Auxiliary Annual Poppy Drive May 26

772-581-3662

807 Louisiana Ave

Starts: Friday 05/26/2017 8:00am
Ends: Friday 05/26/2017 6:00pm

National Poppy Day May 26.

The annual American Legion Auxiliary Unit 189 Poppy Drive will be held on Friday, May 26 in Sebastian. Members of Charles L. Futch American Legion will have poppies available at the following business locations: Mobil Gas US 1, Publix Riverwalk, Publix 510&512, Walmart, Speedway, Sebastian Post Office, and Earl’s Hideaway.   Poppies will also be available Monday May 29th at Riverview Park Memorial Day service.   Thank you for supporting our Veterans.

 History of the Poppy

After World War I, the poppy flourished in Europe and quickly became a symbol of the sacrifices made by Americans and allied servicemembers around the world. Soldiers returning from WWI brought home the flowers in memory of the barren landscape transformed by the sudden growth of wild red poppies among the newly dug graves — unforgettably described in a memorial poem by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae:

In Flanders Fields
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.

–Lt. Col. John McCrae

National Poppy Day broadens a tradition that dates back to the American Legion Auxiliary’s first National Convention in the early 1920s when the red poppy was adopted as The American Legion Family’s memorial flower. Today, it remains an iconic symbol of honor for the sacrifice of our veterans. ALA members distribute millions of poppies annually across the country in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans in our communities.