The Chester American Legion Post 342 thanks the community for its many generous contributions to its annual veterans red poppy drive during Memorial Day week.  It was a pleasure to meet and chat about why red poppies are offered.

There were many who did not know the meaning of these poppies.  One flower, the red poppy, has remained a symbol of both life and death since World War I.  It was immortalize in the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by a Canadian officer, Col. John McCrae, a physician, who was inspired by the flower.  He was intrigued by the poppy which could lie dormant in the soil for many years and then spring to life in great numbers.

He immediately associated it to his deep respect for his veteran patients and deceased comrades and he wrote the poem for them. Ultimately, the red poppy was used as a symbol of remembrance by the British and Canadian troops, and as a fundraiser to help their disabled veterans.

Eventually the red poppy made its way to the USA where the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars organizations embraced the power of the red poppy to raise funds to assist veterans in need.  This tradition has been carried into today.

The veterans are proud of the mission to continue to help fellow warriors with contributions.