Poppy & Remembrance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Wq0X0bwMprQ
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“We will remember them”
Lest we forget
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JUNO BEACH
This information came via e-mail and is well worth reading and checking out the link below.
As many of you likely Saturday June 6, 2009 marks the 65th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy by the Allied forces, and more specifically the Canadian assault on Juno beach.
As Canadians I think it is important to stop and reflect at times like these so that we can remember that the freedoms we enjoy today are those that were fought for by our, now aging, veterans.
Whether you have a direct connection to the military, through family or friends, please take the 3 minutes to watch this video, share it with those you know will care and most importantly try to help the young people in your lives to better understand the sacrifices that were made for us and for them.
We have a lot of things to be proud of as Canadians and our landing on Juno Beach is one of them. The Legion is a great place to connect with veterans; especially this Saturday as most if not all Legions will have some ceremonies or lunch planned.
So buy a Canadian flag for your car window at the local dollar store, attend a parade, share this message and be proud of your heritage.
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History of the Poppy
Why was the Poppy chosen as the symbol of remembrance for Canada’s war dead? The poppy, an international symbol for those who died in war, also had international origins.
A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended. Prior to the First World War few poppies grew in Flanders. During the tremendous bombardments of that war the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing ‘popaver rhoeas’ to thrive.
When the war ended the lime was quickly absorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again.
Lieut-Col. John McCrae, the Canadian doctor who wrote the poem IN FLANDERS FIELDS, made the same connection 100 years later, during the First World War, and the scarlet poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle.
Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died on the battlefield. During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country. In November 1921, the first poppies were distributed in Canada.
Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear the flowers each November, the little red plant has never died. And neither have Canadian’s memories for 117,000 of their countrymen who died in battle.
