Veterans Day and Red Poppies

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Veterans Day and Red Poppies

Veterans day, World War I, armed forces, Woodrow Wilson, Remembrance Day, poppies, French and Indian War, Korean War, Duval

November 11 is Veterans Day in the United States, the day designated to honor those who have served in the armed forces.

President Woodrow Wilson designated that particular day because the belligerent powers signed an armistice to halt World War I on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. For that reason, they called it “Armistice Day.”

My husband likes to point out that Veterans Day is NOT the same as Memorial Day (celebrated the last Monday in May).

“Memorial Day remembers those who lost their lives defending the United States. Veteran’s Day is to honor those who have served,” he reminds us most years.

(Note: there is no apostrophe in Veterans Day. Wikipedia explains: “While the holiday is commonly printed as Veteran’s Day or Veterans’ Day in calendars and advertisements [spellings that are grammatically acceptable], the United States government has declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the possessive case is the official spelling.”)

Remembrance Day

While the United States remembers its veterans this week, other countries around the world are also acknowledging the men and women who served.

The United Kingdom honors its soldiers with Remembrance Day.

Veteran’s groups handed out poppies, often with copies of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. You know how it begins:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

Red poppies became a symbol of remembrance of the war. The red symbolizes all the blood spilled in death.

In 2014, the United Kingdom memorialized the 800,000+ deaths from their country during World War I by “spilling” red ceramic poppies from The Tower of London.

You can see what the moat looked like in September 2014 in the photo above.

Poppies grow all over the world, but became associated with the dead of World War I because they sprouted so quickly in soil churned up by battle.

Local Recognition

Our church recognized all the veterans in the congregation by having them stand and be acknowledged.

One woman served in the Navy in the 1970’s–well before women became as plentiful in the service as they are now. (And the stories she can tell . . . ).

We fly our flag on November 11 to honor family members who have served in the armed forces.

Most of them are dead– though none in my family died in uniform since Captain Dial of the North Carolina militia in 1753. (French and Indian War).

Serving in the armed forces made a difference in the lives of my family.

As a genealogist, I’ve learned that eight ancestors assisted the patriots in the American Revolution. One of my ancestors served in the Confederate States Army–the same year his distant cousin, Abraham Lincoln, served as president of the United States.

Family veterans in the 20th century.

My favorite private, 1918

My grandfather earned his American citizenship by serving in the US Army during World War I. You can read more about his surprising story here.

Both my uncles became skilled electricians in the service and spent the rest of their lives working in electronics, computers, and other communication technology.

My father-in-law served during the waning months of World War II.

My father served as a lieutenant during the Korean War. He arrived on an aircraft carrier the day the war ended.

My husband worked with submarines for 20 years.

Americans learned a hard lesson following the Vietnam War. So many veterans were not welcomed home that many of us felt ashamed. Since the First Gulf War, we have greeted veterans with respect and honor.

I’m thankful for that change.

Most of the veterans I know will tell you they don’t need to be feted or honored; they were simply doing their job.

But I’ll say thanks to them anyway.