On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, on the eleventh month, The Great War or also known World War 1 finally came to an end with guns and artillery finally falling silent upon the trenches and soldiers being able to breathe and know that they could finally go home.
Now, how is this relevant?
Because this upcoming week is Veteran’s Day which most of us are grateful for a long weekend which is fair but Veteran’s Day has much more significance then what it appears to be. Firstly, Veteran’s Day wasn’t called Veteran’s Day until 1954 when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed it into law. Originally, the day was known as Armistice Day due to the Armistice being signed on November 11th. However in 1931, the Commonwealth countries decided to rename the day, Remembrance Day and the United States of course changed it to Veteran’s Day though many countries still call November 11th, Armistice Day like France and Belgium. Veteran’s Day and Remembrance Day were renamed to cover all soldiers who had fallen in all conflicts outside of World War 1.
However another question remains about the day, What is with all the usage of poppies? The usage of poppies for remembrance were inspired by a poem called “In Flanders Fields” made by Canadian Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae who referenced his poem based on how red poppies would grow over soldier’s graves. However, when it came down to using the flowers for remembrance, the idea could be traced back to two women who came up with the idea independent from one another, American professor Moina Michael and French philanthropist Anna Guerin. Moina Michael first began using the poppy for remembrance after she had read John McCrae’s poem and made one in response to his called “We Shall Keep Faith” and vowed to always wear a poppy in remembrance of the fallen of WW1. Though when Moina was teaching a class at the University of Georgia to disabled veterans, she realized that they needed help and began to sell silk poppies in order to raise funds for the servicemen. Anne Guerin, on the other hand, began with fundraisers called Poppy Days. These Poppy Days were made to raise funds for widows and orphans in worn-torn France, in the fundraisers local women and girls would distribute silk poppies in exchange for donations. Together, these women paved the way so that in 1921, the poppy became an international symbol of remembrance for the fallen.
Even though, the US doesn’t celebrate Remembrance Day, the country still uses the poppy as a symbol although it isn’t as widespread as in other places like Canada or Britain and the usage of the poppy is mostly reserved for Memorial Day. But despite, the differences, the poppy and its symbolism remain forever tied to the loss and sacrifice caused by war but also the remembrance of the brave soldiers who risked their life to fight for their country, lest we forget.
