Memorial Day is approaching, and with it, our chance to remember those who gave their lives for our country, and to thank those who have served it as part of our military. There is no simpler way to do that than to pick up a Buddy Poppy, which the township's veterans have been selling to raise money for their fellow vets. They started distributing them, for donations, outside of ShopRite and Kings earlier this week and will continue to do so through the end of the month.
Buddy Poppies are the little red paper flowers that veterans sell to raise funds for needy and disabled veterans. And they do so in a very meaningful way: The very veterans who benefit from their sale are the ones making them, assembling them at various medical facilities and veterans' homes. They are paid for the work, which provides them with a form of financial assistance. The amount is nominal, but it enables the disabled and hospitalized vets to buy the little luxuries which make institutional life tolerable, and maybe even purchase small gifts for loved ones. But, more than just the monetary rewards, it provides them with a feeling of usefulness, because they are contributing to a worthwhile effort.
The veterans who volunteer to sell the Buddy Poppies, however, are just that: Volunteers. Their only reward is the satisfaction which comes from devoting time and effort to a worthy cause.
The tradition dates back to the 1920s, when the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States began promoting the nationwide distribution of Buddy Poppies.
Since World War I, the red poppy has become a symbol of remembering and honoring those who have died in the service of their country during any war. The inspiration came from Col. John McCrae’s poem, 'In Flanders Fields.' McCrae’s striking imagery of bright red poppies growing in the rows and rows of white crosses of Flanders Fields became a symbol of those who fought and died during World War I, which destroyed entire generations. The bright red poppies represented the blood shed by the soldiers. Time soon proved that the Great War was not to be the War to End All Wars as hoped, but just the first of two global wars and a precursor to numerous other military conflicts. The red poppies of Flanders Fields came to symbolize all those who fought and died in the service of their country.
In the United States, Georgia native Moina Michael, who became known as the “Poppy Princess,” was inspired by Colonel McCrae’s poem and began selling poppies to her friends and co-workers. The money she raised went to benefit servicemen in need. Wanting to branch out on a larger scale, Mrs. Michael approached the Veterans of Foreign Wars for help. In 1922, the VFW had its first poppy distribution and the sale has been going on since then.
Since its inception, the Buddy Poppy program, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), has sold more than three quarters of a billion flowers to support veterans, their families and dependents. In Livingston, the volunteers of our local VFW Post donate the money to veterans in nursing homes and hospitals. They use the funds to provide dinners for the patients in the East Orange Veterans’ Hospital, and they provide monetary relief to military families and to wounded soldiers coming home from recent wars. They donate to the Veterans of Foreign Wars' National Home for children of deceased or disabled vets, and help support local rehabilitation services for veterans. Money is distributed to needy veterans of all stripes, not just VFW members. Every cent of that money has gone to veterans' causes. The money – and the funds raised by Buddy Poppy sales all across the nation – is evenly distributed among national, state and local charities, with no administrative costs at all. All of these efforts are funded by the sale of the Buddy Poppies.
Each year, we see veterans around town throughout the month of May proffering the little red flowers to passersby. We encourage everyone to support the campaign and buy a Buddy Poppy – or two, or three, or more. With our country actively involved in skirmishes around the world, the number of wounded soldiers returning home has increased in recent years, and the need to support them is as acute as ever. For a small donation, you can get a Buddy Poppy to wear as a tribute to those who have given their lives for our nation's freedom. It's a small price to ask in comparison with those military personnel who each day are asked to give their health, their limbs, and often their very lives.
So, please, if you see one of our veterans stationed outside of one of Livingston's grocery stores: buy a Buddy Poppy, display it proudly to honor those who have died, thank those who have served, and help those who have returned in need.
