Memorial Day Tribute.....

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Juli64 Victorville, CA May 26, 2005

Hi All! This was forwarded to me from my brother in Ga. Thought you all would find it interesting....
Ever hear the name Moina Michael? You probably haven’t. And neither had I even though she and I are both Georgia natives. Unknowingly, we come in contact with her legacy every year in May because of a particular flower: the poppy.

In the aftermath of World War I, Michael was touched by Maj. John McCrae’s now famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” whose opening lines are, “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses row on row.” She was so moved by the poem that she, along with a Frenchwoman named Anna Guerin, decided to sell poppies to raise money to help orphans and others left destitute by World War I. Their efforts gained momentum. In 1922 the Veterans of Foreign Wars adopted the poppy as the official memorial flower. Since then, the VFW has distributed some 14 million poppies a year and has thus helped countless veterans, widows, widowers and orphans over the years.

This little red flower has become the symbol of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many American military men and women. It reminds us that the three-day “start-of-summer” weekend is, first and foremost, a time to remember those who gave their lives for us on the field of battle, and those who still do.

Please enjoy yourself this Memorial Day weekend – but take some time to consider those sacrifices and give thanks. One way is through observance of The National Moment of Remembrance for one minute, at 3 p.m. local time, on Memorial Day. Perform a simple act of remembrance – some reflection, a little prayer, a discussion with your children about the true meaning of Memorial Day, or just turning on your car’s headlights.

The poem that so inspired “The Poppy Princess,” as the Georgia legislature once dubbed Moina Michael, ends this way:

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Freedom, like the poppies we buy each Memorial Day, has spread because of our fallen heroes and the faith we keep with them. Let’s do our part so that they will sleep well.

My best to you and your families. Have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day and may God bless you all.

Sig:

Philip A. Teel
Sector Vice President
AEW & EW Systems

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jasmerr Merrimac, WI(Zone 4b) May 26, 2005

I was thinking about planting some poppies; maybe red would be appropriate in my memory garden.

God bless!

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judycooksey Pocahontas, TN(Zone 7b) May 31, 2005

Juli64, Thanks for posting this.

Judy

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