Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Edwin Frohmader Post 1879 and Auxiliary have announced that the annual “Buddy Poppy” campaign will soon be underway.
According to information released by the post and auxiliary, the campaign will take place Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12, and will be facilitated through participation by local businesses throughout the Fort Atkinson area.
According to the U.S. American Legion website, on Sept. 27, 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion Family to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died during World War I.
The website states: “After World War I, the poppy flourished in Europe. Scientists attributed the growth to soils in France and Belgium becoming enriched with lime from rubble left by the war.”
The red poppy grew from the dirt and mud, the website continued, and became a symbol of the blood shed during battle after Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., wrote the poem, “In Flanders Fields,” in December of 1915, while serving on the front lines.
As noted in the VFW’s release, “the four flower petals of the poppy represent dedication, sacrifice, responsibility and compassion. The red of the poppy represents the blood that was shed in honor of our country. The black represents the mud and desolation on the battle field. The green of the stem and foliage represent the fields, forest and meadows where fellow Americans perished to make the United States free.”
All proceeds from distribution of the poppies are used to help care for disabled veterans and their families, the release stated.
To learn more about the poppy and its meaning to soldiers and their families, and to read McCrae’s poem, visit the American Legion website: https://www.legion.org/poppyday/history.
Fort Atkinson City Manager Rebecca Houseman, from left, along with members of the Edwin Frohmader Post 1879 and Auxiliary: Steve Tague, who is a co-chairperson of this year’s Buddy Poppy campaign; Faith Elford, who is the Auxiliary Buddy Poppy/National Home Representative; auxiliary member Bruce Terland, and Bill Imsland, who also is a Buddy Poppy co-chairperson, gather in front of the Fort Atkinson Municipal Building at which time Houseman purchases the campaign’s first Buddy Poppy. Contributed photo.
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