Wear a poppy
Pinning a red poppy on your shirt or lapel is a time-honored tradition to show remembrance on Memorial Day.
Words of the fallen
Their messages home are powerful reminders of their love, courage and commitment to serving our country.
I feel wonderfully strong to do my share well, and, for my sake, you must try to drown your sorrow in the pride … that I died well in so clean a cause …
— David Ker (1898-1918), Army
The legacy of the red poppy
The poppy’s association with the fallen began with John McCrae, a lieutenant colonel in the Canadian army, who penned the poem “In Flanders Fields” after seeing the flowers sprout in a Belgian cemetery during WWI.
Inspired by the poem, American professor Moina Michael vowed to always wear a red poppy to honor the fallen, and later sold silk poppies to aid disabled veterans. In 1921, her efforts led The American Legion Auxiliary to adopt the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.
I have a really cute bear for Donnie that is in desert camouflage and a T-shirt that says, ‘My mom is a soldier in Afghanistan.
— Tamara Archuleta (1979-2003), Air Force
The poppy wall is an annual three-day exhibition that pays tribute to the lives of the fallen.
On one side, the wall features stories, quotes and information about those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
The opposite side holds more than 600,000 poppies, one for each life lost in the line of duty since World War I.
USAA Poppy Wall of Honor | Memorial Day
Video Duration: 1 minute 23 seconds
00:00
[Opens with peaceful music]
[Speaker 1]
You know, the real reason for Memorial Day is to remember, to remember those that didn't come home.
00:07
[The words "The USAA Poppy Wall of Honor is a tribute to the fallen. A place to stop and reflect on their sacrifice." appear on screen]
00:12
[Speaker 2]
Freedom isn't free, and those poppies represent the currency that was spent for us to have this way of life.
00:20
[Speaker 3]
So I lost a Battle Buddy two Septembers ago. He was my battle buddy in Iraq. And so, I try to honor him by doing things like these.
00:31
[Speaker 4]
I think it's just important for us to tell our kids what that means. It's about remembering those people who really fought for those values that we have as a country.
00:39
[Speaker 5]
To see 600,000 poppies, that's going to be a memory for life.
00:44
[Speaker 6]
Even like the quotes where there was, like their direct words, how they were feeling, it really like puts into perspective how much they gave up.
00:49
[Speaker 7]
You could see numbers and just think like, oh, like, it's just like numbers. But then you realize that every night. Number represents someone who had, like a family, and the frames family copes and stuff like that, so really highlights their life.
01:02
[Speaker 8]
It was incredibly moving to see the people that gave their life and hopefully honoring that.
01:09
[Speaker 1]
It’s some wonderful conversations to be had around the wall. There's no other place that I would rather be to celebrate Memorial Day. And if we don't remember, then who else is going to?
01:22
[The words, "This Memorial Day Let’s honor all they gave." Appear on screen]
Do me a favor, after you tuck the children in. Give them hugs and kisses from me. Go outside and look at the stars and count them. Don't forget to smile.
— Jesse A. Givens (1969-2003), Army