Join us this Memorial Day as we remember, honor, and teach.
Remember the Poppies and Those Who Served
The desire to serve, succeed, remember, and honor others motivated a battlefield surgeon following World War I to pen the poem “In Flanders Field.” The poem was inspired by a cluster of red poppies, considered a weed, blossoming on a warm spring day from soil that had been contaminated following Germany’s first use of chlorine gas in chemical warfare. Lt Colonel Dr. John McCrae’s poem would be published and read worldwide. The now-famous literature has become a work of art that has been recreated and interpreted in print, song, dance, and prose as a powerful form of remembrance.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Just a few days before the Armistice Day that brought the fighting to an end, Moina Michael read “In Flanders Field” in a popular women’s magazine of the time. That resilient red flower and the image of the fallen who served valiantly compelled her to make and sell fabric poppies to raise money to support the war veterans who would be returning home.
In 1920, the American Legion picked up the poppy distribution on the Friday before Memorial Day, as a national symbol of remembrance.
The standards-based Wreaths Across America curriculum offers educators FREE lesson plan downloads about Poppy Day and Memorial Day. The lesson plans are perfect for teachers, homeschooling parents, daycare providers, or grandparents looking for projects involving kids.
Join us this Memorial Day as we remember, honor, and teach.
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Wreath Sponsorship
Northrop Grumman Supported by VERITAS and Corporate Citizenship (NG) |150543|
Did you know that Wreaths Across America now offers recurring sponsorships? You can select the occurrence and cancel or pause anytime! Register now by completing this form! (https://tinyurl.com/n735zrbr)
What does it mean to sponsor a wreath? It means you are supporting a yearlong mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom. Your sponsorship will support the new and existing programs developed to share the mission. And, it will place a wreath to honor an American hero at one of more than 3,700 participating locations this year on National Wreaths Across America Day – a day set aside to lay gathers as Americans with the same goal.
We can’t do that without your support, though. Your sponsorship will ensure a hand-crafted wreath of all-American balsam and hand-tied with a red velvet bow here in Columbia Falls, Maine. It will then be sent to one of our participating locations, where a volunteer will place it on the marker of a hero. That volunteer will then “say their name” to ensure that the legacy of duty, service, and sacrifice is never forgotten.
So, what does it mean to sponsor a wreath? It means you have the opportunity to join a grateful nation in saying “thank you” to those who stepped up to serve.
*Please Note: Specific locations designated as "ceremonial-only" accept a limited number of sponsorships. Any additional sponsorships received beyond those used for the ceremony will be distributed to other locations.