By Paul Rohs
Guest writer
Mayor Baughn signs the Poppy Proclamation declaring Friday, May 28 National Poppy Day. He signed the proclamation during the Town Yard Sale event on Saturday, May 15 at the Auxiliary Poppy Table display.
I’d guess that any American is familiar with Poppy Day and it’s coincidence with Memorial Day. I also imagine many don’t know much more than that. As spearheaded by the American Legion Auxiliary, Poppy Day is a tradition in most towns in America.
From the battlefields of WW1, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by the brilliance of bright red poppies. In November 1918, Moina Michael, moved by Lt. Col. John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields,” bought all the poppies she could find and handed them out in memory of fallen soldiers to business men at the YMCA where she worked. Hence the birth of Poppy Day.
Significant here this year in recognition of this most special day, Mayor Harry Baughn has issued a Proclamation designating May 28 as Poppy Day in Hayesville.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is the day we remember those who died in service of the United States of America. It is not well known that Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War — which ended in 1865 — and a desire to honor our dead from both sides. On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the republic, officially proclaimed it in his General Order No. 11.
In that order, the General proclaimed, “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” Because the day was not the anniversary of any particular battle, the General called it, The date of Decoration Day. In 1971, Decoration Day was renamed as Memorial Day.
Something few think about, is the many service members who died in foreign theaters of battle and never returned home at all. Lorraine Cemetery and Monument in France is one such hallowed piece of ground and holds 10,489 of those who never made it home or “out” of uniform.
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, this is the largest of the foreign soil cemeteries that in total include some 140,000 veterans killed in combat. Cemeteries are located in 10 different countries including France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Panama, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands and Tunisia.
There are also 27 memorials located in Cuba, Belgium, France, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Morocco and South Korea. These memorials also include the names of some 124,000 combat veterans who are listed as Missing In Action.
We honor all these veterans by prayer, thanks, recognition, showing up at Memorial Day events in our own little towns, wearing poppies and so on. We must also honor them by recognizing the loss and sacrifice of their families, friends and those whose lives would otherwise have been impacted by them. Yes, each and every single one had parents, siblings, children, friends, teachers, neighbors, a career and kids they grew up with. What this loss is and has been to our current nation only God himself knows. We all missed at least something by their loss. Some much more than others.
Most importantly, we honor their sacrifice by appreciating and doing something to protect those freedoms we do have. Remember, many throughout history have said something like; “Bad things happen when good folks do nothing.”
Of course we all enjoy the three day weekend that officially launches “summer.” We owe it to ourselves, our nation, our children, each other and those many who died so that we can enjoy our lives to honor this special day. This year’s Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the veterans memorial monument on the town square at 11 a.m.