ROCHESTER, N.Y. — You may spot a few poppy flowers this Memorial Day. But it may be surprising to learn that the poppy flower gets its significance from a poem.
"In Flanders Fields" was written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a medical officer with the First Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery. The poem captures the sense of grief upon the sight of dead soldiers throughout Flanders Fields in western Belgium and northern France.
Veterans of Foreign Wars members from across the state volunteer annually and distribute poppy flowers to local communities for any donation amount, remembering the bloodshed and lives lost in war.
"It's always great when 6- or 8-year-olds come up, and they've got some of their own money, and it's $0.50 or $0.75, and they want to use their money to get a poppy," said Mike Cialini, a former all-American commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8495 in Fairport.
All donations go to help veterans and their families.