I saw a man selling poppies stop a lady and ask if he could re-position her poppy. While doing so, he reminded her that World War I ended on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour in 1918. He told her that the poppy should be worn on the right side, the red representing the blood of all those who gave their lives, the black representing the mourning of those who did not have their loved ones return home, and the green leaf representing the grass and crops growing and the future prosperity after the war destroyed so much.
The leaf should be positioned at 11 o’clock to represent the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time that World War I formally ended.
He expressed his worry that younger generations wouldn’t understand this meaning and that his generation would not be around long enough to teach them.
For those that do not know, the 11th day of the 11th month is Veteran’s Day.
I was told this story in the first years of my practice by a World War I Veteran patient of mine who has since passed away. It was shared again with me today by another noble Veteran of the Vietnam War. I realized that my children probably don’t understand the meaning of the poppy. So, I’ve recorded it here for you and for them.
Today, U.S. citizens honor all U.S. servicemembers on Veterans Day, November 11, but in many other parts of the world, the day is known as Remembrance Day, a day set aside to remember military personnel who have lost their lives in war. Established by King George V in 1919, Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day, which marked the end of hostilities in World War I in 1918.
After WWII, the day was renamed “Remembrance Day,” although Armistice Day is still celebrated on the same day. In the United Kingdom, Canada, France, South Africa, the U.S., Bermuda, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, citizens pause at observe one or two moments of silence at 11 a.m. to remember the fallen. The United States rebranded its November 11th celebration after the Korean War to honor all U.S. veterans, living and dead.
In the spirit of Remembrance Day and Veteran’s Day worldwide, many wear a simple red poppy on the lapel, reminiscent of the red poppies (the annual herbaceous species of flowering plant papaver rhoeas) that were among the first plants to bloom in the devastated battlefields of northern France and Belgium.
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.
This poem was written by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Inspired by McCrae’s poem, American professor Moina Michael penned her response to the poem in 1918.
We Shall Keep the Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet – to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
Today the red poppy remains a popular outward sign of remembrance in November.
In 2014, a major art installation called Poppies: Wave and Weeping Window was unveiled at the Tower of London, displaying 888,246 ceramic poppies, each honoring a member of the British and Colonial forces who died during the Great War. This is something to behold and is quite breathtaking.
In the United States, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day (also known as Poppy Days), millions of red crepe paper poppies – all handmade by veterans as part of their therapeutic rehabilitation – are distributed across the country by the American Legion in exchange for donations that go directly to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans.
The poppy becomes a powerful symbol of the individual who sacrificed for you and I. Only through this form of artful remembrance can we pass this meaning on to our children.
The red poppy is a simple way to show support those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defending freedom across the globe. When you see a poppy this week, remember those that have sacrificed for our freedoms. If you want to do more, consider donating to or becoming a part of the Wounded Warrior Project. Veterans Day is a day to honor and celebrate the heroes who risked their lives to protect us.
While we can never repay injured warriors for their extraordinary sacrifices, we can show our gratitude by giving them the crucial support they need.