The red petals stand for the vast outpouring of blood; the yellow and black center, the mud and desolation of all battlefields.
The green of the stem is symbolic of the forests, meadows and fields where generations of Americans have perished to make this land free.
The stem represents the courage and determination of our fallen warriors.
The assembled product, a flower, is a symbol of resurrection, which is sure to follow.
The Poppy Story
From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. By that miracle of nature, the spirit of their lost comrades lived on.
The poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war, and represented the hope that none had died in vain. The American Legion Auxiliary Poppy has continued to bloom for the casualties of four wars, its petals of paper bound together for veterans by veterans, reminding America each year that the men and women who have served and died for their country deserve to be remembered.
Poppy Day has become a familiar tradition in almost every American community. This distribution of the bright red memorial flower to the public is one of the oldest and most widely recognized programs of the American Legion Auxiliary.
This poppy, as a memorial flower to the war dead, can be traced to a single individual, Miss Moina Michael. She was so moved by Col. McCrae's poem that she wrote a response:
. . . the blood of heroes never dies
But lends a luster to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders' Fields.
On impulse, she bought a bouquet of poppies – all that New York City's Wanamaker's Department Store had – and handed them to businessmen meeting at the New York YMCA where she worked. She asked them to wear the poppy as a tribute to the fallen. That was November 1918. World War I was over, but
America's sons would rest forever ‘in Flanders' Fields.’ Later, she would spearhead a campaign that would result in the adoption of the poppy as the national symbol of sacrifice.
Col. John McCrae
Only some paper petals With two leaves of paper, too. Only a paper poppy, Does it mean anything more to you?
The red is for the courage, Of men who fought and bled, And then came back to spend their days, In the ranks of the living dead.
The green of the leaves reminds me, Of the sunny hillsides over the sea, Whenere rest the war torn bodies, Of those who died that war might cease to be.
The cup that is formed by the petals, Covers a heart of gold. It stands for a labor of love Whose value can never be told.
Only a paper poppy But it holds the hopes and fears Of numberless men and their loved ones As they carry on through the years.