Evanston RoundTable Open Search Memorial Day ceremonies to begin at 10 a.m. on May 31 in Fountain Square
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From left, Technical Sergeant William B. Snell VFW Post 7186 members Milton Tooma, Kenneth Wideman, Lynne Tooma (auxiliary), and Bill Petty collecting donations and offering poppies outside Valli Produce on May 25. (RoundTable photo)
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The Poppy & Poem Story
After WW I a poem emerged written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, who reportedly was inspired to write it after presiding over the funeral of his friend and fellow soldier 22-year-old Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. The poem gives voice to those soldiers buried in the battlefield, pleading with survivors to take up the torch of their fight, and to remember them even though red poppies now cover the battlefield. The poem gained widespread notoriety after McCrae was convinced to submit it for publication, and it was translated into many languages and published around the world. When American professor Moina Michael read the poem, she was so moved by it that she wrote her own poem in response, We Shall Keep the Faith, assuring that those dead and buried beneath fields of poppies that those still alive will take up the torch of their fight and cherish the poppy red.
Memorial Day: Remembering Those Gave Their Lives
On the lawn of the county courthouse in Waynesville, North Carolina, is a rough stone memorial honoring the county’s Vietnam War dead. Engraved on this monument are the names of “Haywood County’s Sons Who Sacrificed Their Lives in the Republic of South Vietnam.” At the foot of this stone slab is a cast metal pair of unlaced combat boots.
Many of the names inscribed on this simple memorial Brown, Frazier, Moody, Rogers, and others have echoed in Haywood’s hills and hollers for generations. The ancestors of these dead men probably fought as well in American conflicts ranging from the American Revolution to the Korean War. Moreover, many of the men whose names are written on this memorial undoubtedly have some relatives who knew them and who are still living, brothers and sisters, cousins, and perhaps even children.
The weekend before Memorial Day finds many war veterans distributing poppies in order to honor the ultimate sacrifice of our nation’s veterans. In New Canaan, members of our local Veterans of Foreign War Post 653 will distribute poppies in front of Walter Stewart’s Market, ACME Market and Dunkin Donuts. The significance of the poppy in honoring our nation’s war dead is traced to World War I.
New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski
From the battlefields of World War I, weary soldiers brought home the memory of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. By that miracle poppy became a symbol of the sacrifice of lives in war and represented the hope that none had died in vain. The poppy has continued to bloom for the casualties wars, its petals of paper bound together for veterans by veterans, reminding America each year that the men and women who have served and died for their country deserve to be remembered.
Memorial Day with the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado
Memorial Day with the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado
Annie Lindgren
North Forty News
The Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado is a special place, dedicated in May 2011 and officially opened in November of the same year. It serves as a remembrance of the bravery and sacrifices willingly made by our veterans, whether in times of war or times of peace.
The Plaza brings the community together to recognize U.S. military veterans responsible for protecting and ensuring our inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a place for reflection, commemoration, inspiration, and learning.