Red poppies have been worn proudly by many American’s all over the United States on Memorial Day for many years, but many don’t know its origin.

The poppies are worn in memory of the men who lost their lives in our nations wars. From 1914 until 1918, the battlefields of Europe were trampled by boots of millions of fighting men. The American troops were part of the Allied Forces that fought to bring peace and liberty to Europe. Months of hard fighting and thousands of lives were the price paid for the objective.

As American troops advanced through France and Flanders fields, the only touch of life and beauty they often saw were the wild poppies that bloomed amid the rubble of war, around the shell craters and among the barbed wire. The poppies grew and bloomed. The blossoms also covered the graves of American fighting men who had fallen. It soon became a symbol of sacrifice to the living.

The origin may have been more than 100 years ago, but tradition continues. We still have men and women giving their lives for us and our freedom. The poppy reminds us not to forget them.

These poppies are made by veterans, who are paid a trivial amount, but it offers them a pasttime to combat long hours in hospital wards. We, members of the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary, receive nothing tangible, but we do gain satisfaction from the program because 100 percent of the profit will go to veterans and their families. I am sure all of us will consider it a privilege to wear a poppy again this year. We will be available at Clinton Crossings Mall every Saturday in May from noon until 4 p.m. if readers wish to get a poppy to wear.

Lynn Tendler, President

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 66 Clinton